Dish of Chicken Guisado Braise
(click to enlarge)

Chicken Guisado Braise


Honduras   -   Polo Guisado

Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
3 #
***
2-1/2 hrs
Yes
A very flavorful treatment of chicken, definitely not bland, but not too chili hot. It is excellent for buffet service since it is durable and reheats very well.

1-1/2
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3
3
3
2/3
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12
5
5
12
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1/3
1
1-1/2
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1/4
1
1
1
1
1
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2
3/4
The
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ar

#
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T
cl
T
t
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oz
oz
oz
oz
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c

T
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c
T
t
T
T
T
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T
c

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Chicken Meat (1)  
-- Marinade
Sour Orange (2)
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
-- Vegies
Tomatoes
Onion
Bell Pepper grn  
Potatoes (3)
-- Flavoring 1
Vermouth
Bay Leaf
Worcester Sauce
-- Flavoring 2
Olives (4)
Tomato Paste
Paprika
Parsley
Cilantro
Hot Sauce (5)
---------------------
Olive Oil
Chicken Broth
Reserved Marinade
-- Serve with
Steamed Rice

Prep   -   (1 hr   + a little more marinade time)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into about 1-1/4 inch pieces.
  2. Squeeze SOUR ORANGE for Juice (see Sour Orange).
  3. Crush GARLIC and chop very fine.
  4. Massage all Marinade items into Chicken until all is evenly distributed. Set aside for an hour.
  5. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into 1/2 inch dice.
  6. Dice ONION small. Dice BELL PEPPER small. Mix all with Tomatoes.
  7. Peel POTATOES and dice about 3/4 inch. Place in a saucepan and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes. Strain out (see Note).
  8. Cut OLIVES in half crosswise.
  9. Chop PARSLEY and CILANTRO small.
  10. Mix all Flavoring 2 items.
Run   -   (1-1/3 hr)
  1. Drain Chicken well, reserving any marinade.
  2. In a 3-1/2 quart Sauté Pan or Wok, Heat Oil. Stir in Chicken and fry until lightly browned. I fry in two batches. Be careful the fond adhering to the pan does not burn. If it gets too dark, go immediately to the next step. Remove to a grate or paper towels to drain.
  3. Stir in Tomato mix and fry stirring, until liquid has mostly evaporated and Onions are translucent.
  4. Stir Chicken back in. Stir in Broth, any reserved Marinade, and all Flavoring 1 items. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
  5. Stir in parboiled Potatoes along with all Flavoring 2 items. Bring back to a boil and simmer covered until Potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
  6. Serve hot with long grain rice, Thai Jasmine is fine.
NOTES:
  1. Chicken:

      The pattern recipe calls for a 2 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces. This does not work well for buffet service or at some family tables. I use Thigh and/or Leg meat, which has the best flavor and texture. I use it without skin and bones, but recover the flavor of those by using them to make a strong broth. For how to make and store Broth, see our Soup Stock / Broth.page.
  2. Orange, Sour

      [Bitter Orange]   These are very seasonal here in Southern California so I freeze juice. If you do not have that, use 1/2 Orange Juice and 1/2 Lime Juice.
  3. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they turn to mush if cooked a little more than the minimum.   Note: The acid in the Juice and Tomatoes will harden the outside surface of the potatoes if they are not partially cooked in advance. For details see our Potatoes page.
  4. Olives:

      In Central America and the Caribbean, these are always Pimiento Stuffed Green Olives. These tend to be outrageously expensive around here, so I just use Pitted Green Olives. If I want to be formal, I'll steam a few strips of Red Bell Pepper and stuff them myself.
  5. Hot Sauce:

      What kind and how much is up to your best judgement. I used 1 T of the common Tapatío Sauce, and that worked well, mild enough to serve the dish to guests.
  6. Comments:

      I was surprised by the use of Worchestershire Sauce, but found it is very common in Central America and the Caribbean, used as Maggie Seasoning is in most of the world.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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