Cuban Fricase de Pollo (Chicken Fricassee

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Rich tomato broth, garlic, peppers and onions mingled with the scents of chicken and spices (Mmmm garlic and cumin). This traditional Cuban comfort food is hard to beat. It’s so simple to make, and is made in one pot. I love one pot meals! Less work, more yum.

What is Fricassee?

Originating in France, fricassee is a dish of “meat broken browned in butter and served in sauce flavored with the cooking stock”. The word, fricassee, is thought to be a compound of two separate French words meaning ‘to break apart’ and ‘fry’.

What is Fricase de Pollo?

Fricase de pollo is the Cuban version of fricassee, and it’s a dish I grew up eating. My favorite part was always the olives. The French version uses a white wine cream sauce (sounds delicious!), while the Cuban version uses a tomato based sauce. Many Spanish and French immigrants came to Cuba and brought their cuisines with them. It’s easy to see how all three cuisines could marry, creating this wonderful dish.

Nothing beats this traditional Cuban comfort food. This has been one of my favorite dishes for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, the olives were my favorite part. Now, I appreciate the bold flavors of the entire dish. Traditionally, this dish uses chicken thighs, bone in. I, however, do not like picking the bones out so I have always used boneless thighs in this recipe.

Make it brunch

For a complete meal, add Homemade Cuban Bread slathered in butter and Sweet Plantain Fritters as a side, and finish it off with my Homemade Tres Leches.

Tips and Substitutions

To save time when making this dish, chop the vegetables while the chicken is cooking.
I like to leave the skin on the potatoes, but you can peel it off if you prefer.
To reduce sodium in this dish, use a low-sodium broth. You can also use a bouillon cube and use a less water to cube ratio. For example, I just use one cube per 4 cups of water. The spices in this dish provide a lot of flavor.
You don’t have to get one cup exactly of onion, I use a heaping cup. You can use less if you prefer. I also get a large poblano pepper, but you can use any size you want.
It’s your choice whether you want to chop or press the garlic. Either way is fine. You can also add less garlic, or more, if you prefer.

Ingredients

Chicken Chicken thighs work best in this recipe. Traditionally, the bone is left in while cooking, but I don’t like picking the bones out so I use boneless.
Vegetable or chicken stock Either one works. I like to use bouillon cubes and reduce the amount I use to cut some sodium out. For example, my bouillon cubes call for two cups of water. I will use four cups to cut down on the sodium.
Poblano or bell pepper Hands down poblano pepper is my most favorite pepper. It goes perfectly in this dish.
Potatoes Russet potatoes are best in this dish, but any potato you have on hand will work.
Onion and garlic Make up the flavor base of this dish, along with the spices.
Capers Add a lemony brightness to any dish they’re added to.
Olives Spanish Queen olives or Kalamata olives are the best olives to use in this dish. Their salty flavor is perfect in this dish.
Tomato Sauce The sauce that pulls everything together.
Spices Cumin, cloves, Italian seasoning and Sumac provide the perfect flavor profile for this dish.
Lemon A few lemon slices added while you are cooking fricase makes for a delightful, lemony flavor.

How to Make Fricase de Pollo

Step One This dish is almost too simple to make. We begin by cooking the chicken in the stock pot in a bit of oil. Once its cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.

Step Two Then, the peppers and onions are browned in the juice of the chicken, adding depth of flavor. In this recipe, I used poblano peppers, though bell peppers are usually used. Poblanos have more depth of flavor than a bell pepper. I use them in place of bell peppers on many occasions.

Step Three After a few minutes of sauteing the peppers and onions, the garlic is added in. Then add the broth, tomato sauce, potatoes, chicken, olives, capers and spices into the pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.

Broth, spices, chicken, olives, capers, potatoes, and green olives added to the pot.

Step Four Lower to a medium heat and cook for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. I used slightly different spices than normal. I love sumac, which is a Mediterranean spice that isn’t normally used in fricase, but I love it so I added it in.

Step Five Serve the fricase and enjoy! If you want a delicious snack to enjoy after dinner, try my Pastelitos de Guayaba Con Queso. Guava and sweetened cream cheese wrapped in a flaky crust. Doesn’t get any better than that!

Why I Love This Dish

How does it taste? Wonderful! The tomato broth, the spices, the olives, the chicken. Everything comes together so well in this dish to make a perfect flavor profile. Perfect Cuban comfort food!

How does it smell? Almost as good as it tastes. You won’t believe how wonderful the spices smell as you’re cooking this dish, along with the tomato sauce and chicken.

Is it easy to make? Yes, and it is made in one pot (other than the rice, which is made in the microwave), making it even easier.

Would I make it again? Yes, I’ve made this many times!

Recipe Notes

How do I store fricase?

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days for best results.

Can I freeze fricase?

No, I do not recommend freezing fricase.

What chicken is best for fricase?

Chicken thighs with the bone in is traditionally used in this recipe. If you don’t want to worry about bones in your stew, like I don’t, you can use boneless thighs. Chicken breast would not work as well in this dish.

Other Recipes to Try

Cubano Sandwich

One Pot Leftover Carnitas Soup

One Pan Coconut Chicken with Thai Curry