Fricasé de Pollo

I seriously thought that I was Cuban after making this recipe, it turned out that good. If you have ever seen me, you would probably know that I am not Cuban (Casper alter! I'm pretty white with blond hair blue eyes), though I have know a couple of people that have my complexion, so maybe I do have some in me. As soon as I had my first bite, I texted my best friend that is Cuban and told her what I made. She was proud of me. I also texted my other friend that is Puerto Rican since we talked about it at work and she wanted to know how it came out, while her husband wanted to know why she doesn't cook Fricasé de Pollo for him, lol. The whole reason I cooked this is because my boyfriend wanted something that went with yellow rice and black beans, so I got on-line and Googled good Cuban food. I found this site called 3 Guys From Miami, and knew I had a winner when I saw their pictures and read about their restaurant.

This dish was seriously authentic tasting! All the ingredients came together to make a flavor explosion. Though I was a bit suspicious about the raisins (I have found that I can't spell this word correctly ever, thank god for spell check), they balanced out the acid from the tomatoes, wine, and olives and glad that I kept them in. The sauce was the shit. Sorry, but I just can't describe it any other way. I could have eaten just that and been happy. There were a good amount of left overs, so I took it to work and shared with my friend from above and my other friend that only ever eats take out, so I figured he would like a nice home cooked meal; he is also Puetro Rican and loves anything with rice and beans. I am so glad that I live in Florida where Cuban food is everywhere. This dish is definitely something that I will make again! Oh, and it is WW awesome at only 7 points a serving, which is one thigh and a scoop of sauce (rice and beans not in total).

 

From 3 Guys From Miami

Fricasé de Pollo

• 1/2 cup sour orange juice (or use 2 parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime juice)
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 
• 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
• 2 pounds chicken pieces, skinned (I used thighs)
  
• 3 tbs olive oil 
• 1 1/2 cup red potatoes, peeled and cubed 
• 1 chopped onions 
• 1 chopped bell pepper 
• 1 cup tomato sauce 
• 1 cup red wine, do not use cooking wine.
• 1/2 cup stuffed green olives 
• 1/2 cup raisins

1. Combine the sour orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
2. Add the chicken pieces and let marinade for 8 hours or overnight. 
3. Remove chicken from marinade and dry off with paper towels. Reserve marinade for later.
4. Heat large skillet with olive oil on high heat until lightly smoking.
5. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes a side. Remove.
6. Add potatoes and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove.
7. Add onions and peppers (more olive oil if needed) and cook until soft, but not browned.
8. Add tomato sauce, wine, potatoes, raisins, olives, and marinade to the onions and peppers. Stir and bring to boil.
9. Add chicken back to the skillet, cover, and lower temperature to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
10. Serve with yellow rice and black beans.

Tips and Tricks

• Use red drinking wine, not cooking wine. It doesn't have to be expensive, but robust. I recommend a Cab. 
• I used chicken thighs, but think I will do a combination of legs and thighs next time.
• Serve with Cuban bread to soak up all the yummy sauce.