Loaded with tomatoes and green olives, pollo guisado (Spanish for chicken stew) is a hearty, fall-off the bone braised chicken dish popular throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and particularly in Puerto Rico. Almost every version starts with sofrito, a fragrant mixture of bell peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro or culantro, finely chopped or blended into a paste. This recipe makes extra sofrito, so you can freeze it to jump-start future soups, stews, and more. (Read the essay behind this particular version from writer Jacqueline Woodson.)
The other powerhouse in our pollo guisado recipe is adobo seasoning. We like the Loisa brand, a combination of sea salt, garlic powder, turmeric, black pepper, and oregano, but any store-bought mix will work. For the chicken, we use skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, but you could also use drumsticks. Avoid boneless chicken and white meat (skinless chicken breasts just can’t compare to the depth and richness of dark meat).
Often served with white rice or tostones (fried green plantains), pollo guisado tastes even better the next day. Garnish bowls with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
For a beefier version, try carne guisada, a Tex-Mex beef stew with Puerto Rican roots. More of our best chicken recipes, right this way →