
Fricase de Pollo (Chicken Fricassee)
Chicken Fricassee is the first Cuban dish that I mastered. Do you want to know why? I’ll tell you why, it was my kids favorite and it’s very easy and forgiving.
What is Cuban chicken fricassee?
According to Julia Child a fricassee is half way between a saute and a stew. A saute has no liquid and a stew starts with a liquid. A fricassee sautes the meat first then some liquid is added and simmered to finish. Cuban chicken fricassee is just that. We are going to saute cut up pieces of chicken and then make a red sofrito sauce that will simmer with potatoes to be served over a bed of rice.
Now, depending on the time of year it is, I like to change the way I make the sauce. During the winter I will use tomato sauce for a richer flavor. Tomato sauce gives the fricase de pollo a thicker comfort food feel that warms you from the inside out. However, during the spring and summer I like to use fresh cherry tomatoes. The sauce stays light and fresh as pictured below.
Chicken Fricassee is one of those dishes that gets better and better the longer the flavors mix together. I like to make extra so the next day there is plenty for an amazing second meal for lunch or dinner. Also depending on your personal likes you can use a whole cut up chicken like I’m going to show you here, or you can use boneless skinless breast or thighs, or a combination of all three. The versatility is awesome!
Also, once I had kids this easily became a go to dish that I knew any time I made it the kids would eat it. The chicken simmering with potatoes in a Dutch oven fills the house with the best smell and that’s what gets them ready for dinner.
This is also a great dish to learn because the sauce starts with a sofrito that is the base of so many delicious Cuban recipes that I will be sharing with you. If you don’t know what sofrito is it is sautéed onions, bell peppers and garlic. So let’s get started!
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…