Fricasé de pollo (or Cuban chicken fricassee) is a stewed dish featuring tomatoes, green olives, and Yukon gold potatoes. This recipe comes together unbelievably quickly and is perfect for those busy weeknights!
Like many of my Cuban recipes, this one came straight from Joey’s (that’s mister Diplomat!) family cookbook. We’ve changed very little- primarily adding measurements- except for the addition of potatoes. These aren’t strictly necessary but they are an ingredient in many Cuban fricassee recipes and I think they fill out the recipe very nicely.
This recipe is perfect for busy nights or anytime you’re looking for a quick and easy meal. It’s made primarily of pantry staples and that’s awesome. But don’t let the simplicity of the ingredients fool you- this recipe is absolutely greater than the sum of its parts. This is the simplified version of my Ultimate Fricasé de Pollo recipe (LINK). That recipe takes a little more effort and a few more ingredients; its a truly excellent recipe, but sometimes you just want to make something easy and delicious, right?
Speaking of the ingredients, there are two on the list that may look unfamiliar. The first is adobo con pimienta, which is a spice blend found in many Cuban and other Spanish recipes. There are many brands that make their own version of adobo con pimienta. It’s available in most major grocery stores here in Colorado, either with the spices or in the Spanish section. You can find more information about that here.
The second is vino seco. This is a dry golden cooking wine that is also a staple of Cuban cuisine. Depending on where you are in the country it can be very difficult to find. I highly recommend using it for that extra splash of Cuban perfection, but if you just can’t find it you can substitute white wine. You can find more information about vino seco here.
Fricasé de pollo can be served as is, like a soup or stew, but it’s commonly (and I believe best) served over white rice. You can serve each person an intact drumstick and some sauce/olives/potatoes (as shown below); or you can slip the extremely tender meat from the drumstick bones beforehand and stir into the stew before serving over rice. The world is your oyster! Do your thing.
This recipe calls for an old school pressure cooker. Pressure cookers are one of those kitchen items that most Cuban families just “have” and a lot of recipes are built around them. Many people have an Instant Pot and you can use that too! Simply set your pressure manually following the directions below and walk away!
Looking for more Cuban recipes? Try my Frijoles Negros, Cuban Picadillo Stuffed Plantains, (LINK) or Yuca Frita con Mojo recipes!
Fricasé de Pollo (easy weeknight version)
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 small yukon gold potatoes
- 2 lbs bone-in chicken drumsticks or thighs
- 1 8-oz-can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp adobo con pimienta (see note above)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 cup vino seco (see note above)
- 1 5.75 oz jar pimiento stuffed manzanilla olives + 1/4 cup brine
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
Instructions
- Cube the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Remove skin from chicken.
- If using an Instant Pot: Place all ingredients (except rice) into the pot. Secure lid tightly and turn on Pressure Cook setting for 20 minutes. Wait for the pot to de-pressurize before opening.
- If using a pressure cooker: Place all ingredients (except rice) into the pot. Secure lid tightly and turn on heat. Once it reaches pressure and the rocker starts to rock, cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let de-pressurize naturally (don't tip the rocker).
- In the meantime, cook rice according to package instructions.
- Place a serving of rice in each bowl. You may either slip all of the chicken meat from the bones and stir back into the stew; or serve each person an intact chicken thigh or drumstick. Ladle soup over the rice and serve.
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