Pollo Guisado: Braised Chicken Stew

Written by
Hector Rodriguez
A Puerto Rico native and former food service professional, Hector Rodriguez develops recipes inspired by the Caribbean and Latin America.
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Hector Rodriguez
Updated 06/27/19
Pollo guisado recipe

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
  • Total: 50 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 35 mins
  • Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Pollo guisado is a delicious chicken dish with meat that practically falls off the bone. Both children and adults love it, so it makes a great family meal. As an added bonus, it doesn't call for a lot of ingredients, so it's doable on a busy weeknight. 

The chicken's tenderness is the result of a combination of two techniques: braising—lightly frying and then stewing low and slow in a closed container—and fricassee, which involves sautéing and braising cut-up meat then serving it in its own sauce.

Pollo guisado is a very popular dish on the Spanish-speaking islands of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds chicken (with skin on, thighs, legs, breast, and wings, cut-up)
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 1/2 cup sofrito
  • 1 packet ​sazón seasoning (or 1 tablespoon annatto/achiote oil)
  • 1/4 cup olives (pimento-stuffed Spanish Manzanilla, pitted)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Optional: 1 culantro leaf (or recao leaf)
  • Optional: 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce (canned, seasoned with peppers and onions)
  • 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
  • 1 large potato (cut into bite-sized cubes)
  • Garish: cilantro (chopped)
  • Garnish: parsley (chopped)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients pollo guisado
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Season the chicken pieces with the adobo seasoning. 

    Season chicken
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet or a Dutch oven. Make sure you have a lid available to cover it tightly. 

    Olive oil in pan
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. Add the chicken pieces and brown them on each side, about 5 minutes per side.

    Chicken in pan
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. Add the sofrito, the sazón packet, Spanish olives, cumin, bay leaf, culantro, Italian seasoning, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and potato cubes. Turn the chicken pieces to coat them with the sauce.

    Add sofrito
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the chicken stew for 35 minutes or until the chicken is done. 

    Sauce
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Remove the bay leaf and the cilantro leaf. 

    Remove bay leaf
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  8. Garnish the chicken pieces with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley and serve the sauce over your favorite rice recipe.

    Garnish chicken
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Tips

  • The chicken is done when its internal temperature reaches 160 F or 71 C. Use a meat or other cooking thermometer to test it for optimal food safety. 
  • You can use canned and prepared ingredients in this recipe, but you'll get the best results if you make some of them yourself, such as the adobo seasoning, the sofrito, and the achiote oil. 
  • This sauce tastes great over rice and beans, white rice, or yellow rice with corn.