This is the Ultimate Fricasé de Pollo (Cuban chicken fricassee) recipe! Marinated drumsticks are simmered until tender in a wonderful combination of olives, potatoes, and Cuban flavors!
I recently posted a Fricasé de pollo recipe that came from Joey’s family cookbook. That recipe – which is totally delicious and I definitely recommend trying- is more of an easy weeknight version. All it requires is throwing some ingredients into a pressure cooker or Instant Pot and letting it all stew together. You can find that recipe here.
This recipe is the more “elevated” version. This version is a result of our combined knowledge of Cuban cooking as well as trying other people’s recipes and attempting to replicate them. What we’ve come up with here is more of an impress-your-loved-ones Fricasé de pollo recipe. It’s going to take quite a bit more time and it’s a little more involved, but it is oh-so-worth-it.
You can think of Fricasé de pollo as a Cuban chicken stew. It can be eaten by itself – like a soup – although it is often served over white rice. There are two ways to serve the chicken. You can serve each person an intact drumstick and ladle the the soup around it, (above) or you can slip the extremely tender meat off the bone and stir it into the stew before serving (below).
Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros) make a great side dish for this, as do Tostones (Fried Plantains). This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd or to pack for lunch for the week.
While many of these ingredients are pantry staples, there are two that may look unfamiliar. The first one is sour orange juice. Sour orange juice comes from sour oranges, which can be hard to find in most of the country. I have had absolutely no luck finding them in Colorado. There are many bottled sour orange marinades available, which is what I most often use. You can also make a substitution out of orange juice and lime juice. To find out how to do that, as well as further information about sour orange juice, click here.
The second is vino seco. Vino seco is a type of dry golden cooking wine common to Cuban cooking. This too may be difficult to find in many parts of the country, although it is available online. I highly recommend using it for that extra splash of Cuban perfection, but if you absolutely cannot find it, you may substitute white wine. You can find more information about vino seco here.
Looking for more awesome Cuban recipes? Check out my Cuban Picadillo, Yuca Frita con Mojo and Cuban Papas Rellenas recipes!
The Ultimate Fricasé de Pollo
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 2.5 lbs chicken drumsticks
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 cup sour orange juice (see note above)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
For the Fricasé de Pollo:
- 1 medium-large onion (about 2 cups after dicing)
- 1 red bell pepper (about 1.5 cups after dicing)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 lb yukon gold potatoes, skins removed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup vino seco (see note above)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 8-oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed manzanilla olives
- splash of olive brine (optional)
Instructions
To marinate the chicken:
- If they have them, remove skins from drumsticks. Set aside.
- In a large, non-metallic bowl, stir together the rest of the marinade ingredients. Submerge the drumsticks in the marinade as much as possible.
- Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least 3 hours). Occasionally rotate drumsticks.
To make the Fricasé de Pollo:
- Dice onion and bell pepper. Mince garlic cloves.
- Chop skinless yukon gold potatoes into bite-sized pieces (about 3/4 inch in size). Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes until browned on that side. Turn and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Don't throw away the marinade!
- Remove chicken from pot and place on a plate. Turn down the heat if necessary. Add diced onion to the pot and cook for a minute or so. Stir occasionally until just beginning to turn translucent.
- Add diced bell pepper and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add vino seco, chicken broth, tomato sauce and leftover marinade to the pot. Stir in oregano, cumin, ground pepper and bay leaf. Put the chicken back in the pot and add potatoes.
- Simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- After 40 minutes, add balsamic vinegar and olives. Remove lid and simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat. There are two choices for serving the chicken. You may either shred the meat from the bones now and stir into the stew; or you may serve each person an intact drumstick with the soup ladled around it. Serve with white rice if desired.
Currently Listening: Nation of Language – A Way Forward
