On second thought, I'll refrain from doing so at risk of sounding just like Bubba in the movie Forrest Gump. You get the idea. Chicken. Pretty much anywhere that you go to in the world, they eat it.
Logistics: Chickens don't eat a lot, are low-maintenance and practically raise themselves. And eggs! Let's not forget eggs.
A nutritious and delightful source of protein that's known for it's versatility. In Puerto Rico we cook it several ways, the most common being Pollo Frito, which is my favorite. It's a well-marinated, non-breaded fried chicken that's to die for. Even before you taste it, you go crazy with how incredible it smells cooking because of the seasonings, herbs, garlic and lime in the marinade!
Another common one is Pollo Asado, which is baked chicken, Pollo Fricassee which is also one of my favorite creole dishes with it's delightful sauce packed with seasonings peppers, onions and zesty flavor. Some people just call this dish Pollo en Salsa (Chicken in [red] Sauce). This is actually the chicken that I chose to make for this dish.
Why?
Once in a while I have crazy mornings and forget to thaw out some meat for dinner. So when I have a fashion crises in the morning, I usually end up playing dress-up with my chicken too... Fried? Baked? Marinade? Sticking to my plan of trying not to eat out too much, I stop by the meat market and grab a pound or two of chicken. It's also very inexpensive, and cooks fast and easy.
This time, I was in the mood for the whole thigh/leg. For what you'd spend at the drive-thru for you'll make an entire meal for a family and send your hubby to work with a lunch that's unforgettable. His co-workers will hate/love you (depending if he shares).
I decided to make the Pollo En Salsa because I didn't really have time to marinade the meat. I'll make the tomato-based sauce rich and flavorful instead. This dish reminds me of one of my closest friends, Nique, because if I'm ever cooking for her and her family, this is their dish of choice.
The sauce is amazing spread over yellow rice, and accompanied with sweet plantains and avocado!
I know, I know... to those of you who tell me that it's redundant because the heat kills germs I say that yes you're right but I still don't want dead germs swimming in my sauce. Got it?
Then, for the marinade I juice a lemon, a lime, add in olive oil, crushed garlic or Sofrito, Sazon, Adobo and oregano. I LOVE the way oregano tastes with chicken. Mix it all in a bowl and then spread on top of your chicken.
Let the marinade work through for a few minutes while you heat up the pan with a little olive oil. Saute some onions and peppers in there too with a dash of sea salt, but not too much. Remember that the Sazon and Adobo count as your salt. Be careful.
When the pan is nice and hot, place your chicken in. I like to give the chicken a nice golden-brown sear. Actually, I won't start the actual sauce until the chicken has a nice color and crisp to it. When it does, I'm ready to add a can of crushed tomato sauce, and a splash of wine.
Once this all blends together nicely I taste the sauce and determine if it could use a little more Sofrito, or wine...or salt. It really all depends on your preference so salt to taste, but again, be careful!
Viola! I love this with sweet plantains and avocado..... give it a try. Let me know how it goes. Until then, muy buen provecho!
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