Pollo en Fricase

One of my favorite places to visit is the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, which I've written about before (many times).  I'm not ashamed to say that one of the reasons I love to vacation there is the food.  My beautiful grandmother is from San Juan, and I was no stranger to Puerto Rican cooking, but it wasn't until I visited the island and ate traditional dishes with the smell of the ocean in my nose and the sound of the Coqui frog in my ears that I really experienced Puerto Rican cuisine.

On one trip, my good friend Cindilah and I were ravenous after a morning spent wandering around Old San Juan, and found ourselves in a little cafe near or on the Plaza de Colon (I think it was there, anyway, because no matter where we went, we somehow always ended up in that Plaza).  We took a chance on the day's special, pollo en fricase.  It was a thick and hearty stew with a rich, flavorful base, chicken, potatoes, and spices - perfect for two hungry sight-seers.  We spent the lunch in relative silence, punctuated with a lot of "OH MY GAW!" and "mmmmm..."  That was a good day.

Out of nowhere, I had a hankering for the stew the other day.  One can make and eat stew in summer, right?  I searched for a recipe online, found I had all of the ingredients on hand, and decided to go for it.  I adjusted the recipe based on what I had, what I prefer, and how my grandmother taught me to cook Puerto Rican food. 

It's not exactly the same as the delights of that long-ago meal, but it's a super close second - or possibly better.  Think of it as a sort of Puerto Rican Coq Au Vin.

Don't be scared of the olives and capers in the stew. Try it. You'll be glad you did.

POLLO EN FRICASE (Puerto Rican Chicken Stew)
Adapted from ricanrecipes.com
Serves 4-5
Takes roughly 1.5-2 hours

Ingredients (arranged in order of use)
Achiote oil (see below)
½ package of bacon, cut into matchsticks (I prefer uncured, natural bacon with no nitrates)
3/4-1 cup sofrito (see below)
1 cup of thinly sliced carrots (optional*)
10 to 12 pimiento-stuffed olives
1 tsp. capers
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 packages of Goya Sazon (I recommend "Sazon Natural and Complete," which doesn't have salt or MSG - if using that, you will need to add salt)
A few pinches of salt, if using Sazon without salt (use unrefined sea salt instead of table salt, if at all possible)
2 lbs chicken thighs (Free range, antibiotic-free, if you can!)
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or water (but really, the chicken stock would be best!)
½ cup red wine
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 large potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)

Achiote Oil:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp of achiote (annatto) paste or 1/4 tsp annatto seeds

Sofrito:
1 medium onion
1 medium green bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1-2 sweet peppers (I used two gypsy peppers; traditionally, aji dulces are used in sofrito, but they are hard to find here)
3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
A few handfuls of cilantro leaves
Note:  I like to make a lot of sofrito at a time, since I use it often.  I freeze it in muffin tins and store the frozen rounds in a freezer bag.

Directions
For the achiote oil, combine annatto/achiote seeds or paste in oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, and cook over low-medium heat until bright orange. Remove annatto.

Meanwhile, pulse sofrito ingredients in food processor until finely chopped.

Combine the bay leaves, stock/water, wine, vinegar, and tomato paste in a bowl and stir to mix.

Dry chicken pieces and sprinkle on all sides with one package of Sazon.

Add bacon to achiote oil in the pot and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon, leaving oil behind.

Brown chicken pieces in the oil and remove. Set aside.

Add sofrito to pot, sprinkle with the second package of sazon, and cook for 5 minutes until soft (avoid browning). Add oregano, capers, olives, and carrots (if using), and cook for 3 more minutes. If using Sazon without salt, add salt.

Move mixture to the sides of the pan and add the chicken to the center. Cover with potato cubes. Pour liquids over the meat and vegetables and cover the pot. 

Bring to a boil and then turn down heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add bacon pieces back to the pot, stir, and taste sauce.  Add salt as needed. Cook for another 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove the chicken pieces from the pot, take the meat off the bones, chop into chunks, and return the meat to the stew. The meat should fall right off the bones. (Save the bones to make your own stock later!)

Serve over white rice or eat on its own, or with avocado slices and tostones!
*I didn't put carrots in my stew, but it was an oversight; I'm fairly certain they were in the original version I had in San Juan, and would be a great addition.