Description
Chicken Fricassee Cuban style is a savory chicken stew served over rice. It’s a very popular Cuban dish that’s easy to make.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 pounds skinless chicken thighs with bones (you can use a mix of chicken pieces including thighs and breast if you prefer)
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1⁄2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of saffron threads (optional)
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1⁄2 cup cooking wine (vino seco)
- 3 tablespoons Spanish olives
- 3 tablespoons raisins (optional)
- 1 cup peeled potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup peeled carrots cut into 1-inch sections
Instructions
- Spices: Mix the spices, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Prep: Cut the onions and peppers and crush the garlic.
- Clean and season the chicken: Trim the fat off the chicken. I use kitchen shears for this, it’s so much easier. Pat dry the chicken on paper towels. Sprinkle each chicken piece with the spice mixture and set it aside while you dice the onions and peppers and crush the garlic.
- Brown the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces in batches on both sides, 2–3 minutes per side. Use another tablespoon of olive oil for the second batch, if the pan is dry. You don’t want the pieces to stick to the pan. Transfer the browned pieces to a platter and leave the fat in the pan.
- Sautee onions: Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and saute onion, pepper, and garlic over medium heat until softened about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and spices: Add crushed tomatoes, vino seco, bay leaf, and a pinch of saffron and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add chicken: Add the chicken to the pan again and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, turn over and add the carrots, cook another 5 minutes.
- Add the vegetables: Add the potatoes, olives, and raisins and cook for 20 minutes more.
Serve over rice or with Cuban bread for dipping into the sauce!
Equipment
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Notes
I used to cook this with a regular dutch oven pot, but I recently purchased a Cuisinart Cast Iron Porcelain affiliate link Casserole and I love it! It doesn’t stick and it’s easier to clean than I expected. And I love how even it heats and how pretty it looks. I’m linking to the one I used for this recipe.
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