This Dominican stew chicken (pollo guisado) features tender braised chicken thighs and drumsticks, simmered in a savory sauce with onions, peppers, and olives. Served with white rice or rice and beans, fried plantains, and fresh green salad on the side, it’s a complete meal that’ll hit the spot every time.
There are very few dishes that I could eat almost every day, but if I had to choose, this here would be the one. It’s no wonder that it’s a central part of La Bandera, a traditional meal symbolizing the Dominican flag—bringing together rice, beans, and stewed meat.
Why you’ll love this recipe ❤️
- Authentically Dominican—I’ve watched many people make this over the years. Dominican cooks have certain steps that they follow, like removing the skin, cleaning and tenderizing the meat, browning the chicken with a little bit of sugar, and using lots of fresh herbs.
- Tender and flavorful—the sauce comes out smooth and rich and the chicken is so tender, it nearly falls off the bone.
- Makes just the right amount—using full thighs and drumsticks makes it eye the number of servings. This recipe serves 4 adults, and if your household is smaller, you’ll have leftovers, but not too many.
- Reheats well—stewed dishes taste even better the next day because the flavors continue to develop as it sits overnight in the refrigerator. To reheat, just place the chicken in a pan with some sauce and warm it up over low heat, making sure the center gets warm.
Pollo guisado ingredients
- 2 pounds of chicken without the skin—I use chicken thighs and drumsticks, but some people cut up a whole chicken. The skin is removed so it doesn’t get soggy while braising.
- White vinegar and fresh lime juice—for cleaning and tenderizing the chicken.
- Sofrito—marinade made from cilantro, culantro, cubanelle peppers, onions and garlic. You can use my homemade recipe or use store-bought.
- Seasonings—sopita (bouillon), powdered sazón (I always buy the one that includes saffron, which is called azáfran), cumin, Dominican oregano (or regular), salt and pepper.
- Tomato paste—gives the sauce its smooth texture and deep color.
- Soy sauce, oil and sugar—deepen the color of the chicken
- Vegetables—thinly sliced cubanelle (or green bell) pepper, red bell pepper and white or yellow onion. Green olives are optional.
Other versions of stew chicken
Most islanders have their own version of stewed chicken—it’s affordable, easy to make, and family-friendly.
- Puerto Rican pollo guisado is very similar to the Dominican version but with potatoes and sometimes carrots.
- Jamaican stew chicken is the same idea but with different flavors. Browning and brown sugar give it a deeper color and slightly sweet taste, while Scotch bonnet peppers add heat. Allspice is also used.
- Cuban fricase de pollo is made in a tomato-based white wine sauce, with potatoes, olives and capers.
- In Cape Verde and other Portuguese-speaking countries, we call our version galinha guisada, which has a lighter color and is made with potatoes and sometimes carrots and olives. We usually leave the skin on.
How to make Dominican stew chicken
I recommend reading through the all of steps before getting started. It can seem like a lot of steps at first, but you’ll find your rhythm as you get more familiar with the recipe.
Step 1: Remove the skin from the chicken.
Grip the skin firmly, pulling it back from the meat—it should come off the thighs easily. For drumsticks, hold the thick end of the drumstick and pull the skin down, use a knife or kitchen shears to cut where it’s attached at the bone. Discard the skin.
Step 2: Clean and tenderize the chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl, adding vinegar, lime juice, and enough cold water to cover it. Let soak for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Step 3: Marinate the chicken
Season the chicken with sofrito, sazón, soy sauce, adobo, oregano and cumin. Toss until coated evenly, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Step 4: Caramelize the sugar
Heat the oil and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan, over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The oil will start to turn brown as the sugar caramelizes. Let it get as dark as you feel comfortable with, watching it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Step 5: Brown the chicken in batches
Starting with the drumsticks, let the chicken get brown on all sides, flipping as needed. It’s important not not to crowd the pan during this step, because the chicken won’t brown as nicely. Transfer the drumsticks to a plate and repeat this process with the thighs.
Step 6: Set the chicken aside and reserve the drippings
Set the chicken thighs aside with the drumsticks and make sure to keep the drippings left in the pan. Use a large or wooden spoon to start loosening the bits stuck to the bottom; this is called frond, and it adds flavor to the sauce.
Step 7: Make the sauce
Add ½ cup of water to pan along with any juices left over from the bowl you used to season the chicken. Over medium heat, continue loosening the bits from the pan using a spoon. Add the tomato paste and bouillon, stirring until smooth and dark in color.
Step 8: Braise the chicken
Return the chicken to the pan with 1 additional cup of water, or just enough to cover it. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally—flipping the chicken as needed, making sure the sauce doesn’t dry out or burn. Add a few splashes of water if the liquid level gets too low.
Step 9: Add peppers, onions and olives
Add the peppers, onions, and olives to the pan. Top off with a little extra water if needed, then cover and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but still slightly firm. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Serving suggestions
- My favorite way to serve pollo guisado is with rice and black beans, and a side of sweet fried plantains
- It’s most often served with white rice and Dominican beans the centerpiece of La Bandera, a traditional Dominican lunch, representing the colors of their flag.
- Tostones, fresh green salad, or Dominican potato salad also go well with pollo guisado.
Storing and reheating leftovers
- Store leftover stewed chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Re-heat the chicken in a small saucepan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Cover it and simmer until heated through.
Try these other recipes
- Carne Guisada (Stewed Chicken)
- Bistec Encebollado (Cubed Steak with Onions)
- Pernil – Roast Pork Shoulder
- Beef Picadillo (Seasoned ground beef)
- Pastelon De Platano Maduro (Plantain Lasagna)
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Pollo Guisado (Dominican Stew Chicken)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken drumsticks and thighs
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tbsp sofrito store-bought or homemade
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon adobo
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1.5 teaspoon sazon with azafran (yellow packet)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 large bouillon cube
- 1 yellow onion sliced thin
- 1 cubanelle pepper sliced
- ½ red bell pepper sliced
- ¼ cup green olives
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the chicken by gripping it firmly and pulling it back from the meat. It should come off the thighs easily. For drumsticks, hold the thick end and pull the skin down toward the bone, then use a knife or kitchen shears to cut where it's attached at the bone. Discard the skin.
- Clean and tenderize the chicken by placing it in a large bowl, adding vinegar, lime juice, and enough cold water to cover the chicken. Let soak for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Season the chicken with sofrito, sazón, soy sauce, adobo, oregano and cumin. Toss until coated evenly, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Heat the oil and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan, over medium heat. Stir occasionally, letting the sugar caramelize (the oil will start to turn brown).
- Brown the chicken in batches, starting with drumsticks and flipping as needed. Be careful not to crowd the pan, because the chicken won't brown as nicely. Once brown on all sides, transfer the drumsticks to a plate and repeat this process with the thighs.
- Set the chicken thighs aside with the drumsticks. Make sure to keep the drippings left in the pan. Use a large or wooden spoon to start to loosen the bits stuck to the bottom; these bits adds flavor to the sauce.
- Make the sauce by adding ½ cup of water to pan along with any juices left over from seasoning the chicken. Over medium heat, continue loosening the bits from the pan using a spoon. Add the tomato paste and bouillon, stirring until the sauce is smooth and dark in color.
- Braise the chicken by putting it back in the pan with 1 additional cup of water, or just enough to cover it. Bring to a simmer, then cover and let it cook in the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally—flipping the chicken as needed, making sure the sauce doesn't dry out or burn. Add a few splashes of water if the liquid level gets too low.
- Add the peppers, onions and olives, topping off with a little water if needed, then cover and let simmer 5-10 minutes more, until they're tender but still slightly firm. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Caramelizing the sugar makes the chicken deep-brown in color. This step is explained in the directions, but it's optional if you're not comfortable with it.
- Strain off any liquid from the chicken before browning it: You can reserve the juices and add them to the pot later.
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, warm the chicken in a small saucepan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Cover and simmer until heated through.
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