Pollo Guisado – Hearty Puerto Rican Chicken Stew

This easy Pollo Guisado – Puerto Rican stewed chicken – is packed full of flavor from the sofrito, spices and tender vegetables simmered in a rich tomato-based broth. Comforting, hearty, and perfect for family dinners.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground annato ((optional))
• 1/2 large onion (, roughly chopped)
• 1/2 green bell pepper (, roughly chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (, peeled)
• 2/3 cup (50g) cilantro leaves and stems ((coriander))
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (, chopped)
• 4 chicken leg quarters or 8 chicken thighs (, bone-in and skin-on)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch ((cornflour))
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion (, diced (remaining half of onion in sofrito))
• 1 red bell pepper (, sliced)
• 1/2 green bell pepper (, sliced (remaining half of pepper in sofrito))
• 1/2 tbsp brown sugar ((optional))
• 1/2 cup (90g) green olives (, pimiento stuffed ideally)
• 2 large carrots (, peeled and sliced into rounds)
• 4 medium potatoes (, quartered)
• 1 cup (240g) canned chopped tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
• 1 1/2 cups (300ml) chicken broth ( or stock)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper (, to season)
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley (, to garnish)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Make the sofrito and spice blend ---
2. 2Combine all the seasoning ingredients together.
3. 3Blend chopped onion, green pepper, garlic cloves and herbs in a food processor until you have a coarse paste.
4. 4--- Sear the chicken ---
5. 5Season the chicken generously with the spice blend and dust with cornstarch. Rest for five minutes.
6. 6Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken, skin-side down over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes and turn over and cook on the other side for a further 5 minutes. Set aside.
7. 7--- Make the stew ---
8. 8Lower the heat and allow the skillet to cool down a little. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes then stir in the sofrito and peppers. Cook, stirring, for five minutes, adding any remaining seasoning.
9. 9Stir in the sugar, if using, olives, carrots and potatoes, add the canned tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer.
10. 10Return the chicken to the pan, add the bay leaves, cover and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes or until the chicken is completely tender.
11. 11You should not need to thicken the stew but if you can stir in some cornstarch slurry and simmer for a further five minutes if you like. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning as needed.
12. 12Serve over fluffy white rice or skip the rice and serve with crusty bread. Add a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley) for a bright finish.