I love the full flavor of Chicken Afritada. The result of braising the pieces of chicken then stewing it slowly in low heat.
The good news is it only takes less than half an hour to prepare so you can bust this out on a weekday for a quick chicken dinner. Chicken cooks much quicker than any other meat. All you need is a few minutes of searing the meat pieces and probably 10-15 minutes of simmering. Add a few more minutes if you want a more tender texture where the meat literally “falls off the bone”.
Let us go ahead and gather our ingredients. I use chicken thigh and leg because these parts yields the most flavor and honestly, I did not have any stock available. The fish sauce will compensate for it. š
Lightly season the chicken and fry in small amount of hot oil until they turn golden brown. Make sure the individual pieces are not too large so they cook faster.
SautƩ the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent and the garlic is lightly golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic as it will add a bitter taste to the dish.
In this recipe, I used canned diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce for extra chunkiness and visible tomato pieces. Scoop in a few tablespoons of tomato paste for an additional tint of tomato redness. It will also make the chicken afritada sauce richer and thicker.
Stir in water and sugar. Add the potatoes and carrots that have been cut into chunks. Let the dish come to a boil, then cover the pot. Set heat to low and let the sauce simmer.
When the meat and vegetables are cooked and the sauce has reduced to the desired thickness, add the green peas. Sprinkle some salt and pepper according to taste.
Chicken Afritada
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thigh skin on and cut into serving piecesĀ
- 1 pound chicken legs skin on and cut into serving piecesĀ
- 1 medium onion mincedĀ
- 1 tablespoon garlic mincedĀ
- 1 large carrot chopped into chunksĀ
- 2 medium potatoes chopped into chunksĀ
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ozĀ Ā
- 1 tablespoon tomato pasteĀ
- 2 tablespoons fish sauceĀ
- 1 teaspoon saltĀ
- 1 teaspoon sugarĀ
- 1 cup water or chicken stockĀ
- 1/4 cup green peas
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Place the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until it is brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over to cook the other side.Ā
- Add the onion and stir frequently until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic and continue to stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.Ā Ā
- Stir in fish sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar and salt.Ā
- Add potatoes and carrots then bring to a boil. Cover the pot then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender,Ā stirring occasionally and adding a little water if needed.Ā Ā
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately.Ā
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