Name: Fricasé de Pollo
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs; 1 tablespoon adobo; 2 tablespoons white vinegar; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1/4 teaspoon powdered annato seed (achiote); 2/3 cup sofrito; 1 onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, pounded to a paste; 1 cubanelle pepper, seeds and inner white ribbing removed, diced; 3 tablespoons chopped culantro; 3 cups dry cooking sherry; 1-3/4 cups Goya Spanish tomato sauce; 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces; 3 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Fricasé de Pollo

Tags: Caribbean Chicken Dinner Marinade Overnight Prep Puerto Rican

Yield: 8

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs
1 tablespoon adobo
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon powdered annato seed (achiote)
2/3 cup sofrito
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, pounded to a paste
1 cubanelle pepper, seeds and inner white ribbing removed, diced
3 tablespoons chopped culantro
3 cups dry cooking sherry
1-3/4 cups Goya Spanish tomato sauce
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Steps

Separate the chicken into parts: With a knife, remove the wings, thighs, and drumsticks from the chicken, and set aside. Cut out the chicken's backbone entirely (discard or reserve for chicken stock as desired). Split the breast in two, and set aside. With a cleaver, split each breast in half lengthwise, and cut each piece into 4 even-sized pieces, careful to keep the skin as intact as possible. Set aside. Cut and discard the joint bone from the drumsticks, cut the drumsticks in two, and set aside. Remove the central bone from the thighs, and cut each thigh into 6 parts, be careful to keep the skin intact.
In a bowl, combine the chicken with the adobo and vinegar. Stir well to coat, and set aside in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour. If time allows, marinate overnight.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil and stir in the annato. Add the chicken, and brown for about 6 minutes on all sides. Add the sofrito, onion, garlic, pepper and culantro, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, and cook until it starts to evaporate, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, and add the potatoes and carrots. Pour in 1 1/2 quarts of water, add the bay leaves, and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for about 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and skimming the surface of the stew. Once finished, the chicken should be tender enough to fall off the bone, and the sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.
Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving. Serve piping hot with a side of white rice.

Notes

The achiote oil recipe is for a gallon at a time. Mix some powdered annato into vegetable oil and be done with it.