Pollo Guisado (Chicken Stew)

This Mexican pollo guisado recipe is an easy, inexpensive and delicious dish the entire family will enjoy!

It goes great served over a bed of rice.

It’s a great recipe for a busy weeknight!

If you like this recipe you’ll have to check out my guisado de res (Mexican beef stew) next!

What is pollo guisado?

Pollo guisado or “chicken stew” is chicken that is seasoned and then slowly cooked in a flavorful sauce.

Veggies are usually added as well.

You may also hear it referred to as “guisado de pollo”.

The interesting thing about pollo guisado is that there are many variations of this recipe. And they’re all delicious!

The many different ways to make this yummy dish come down to country of origin and personal tastes.

I highly recommend you try this Puerto Rican chicken stew. It’s amazing! It has sofrito in it so you know it’s going to be good!

What is the difference between chicken soup and chicken stew?

When making chicken soup the chicken is submerged in a large amount of water (usually 2-3 quarts) with aromatics in order to make a broth.

In chicken stew, the chicken is simmered in a flavorful broth. However the amount of liquid used is usually just a few cups of water or less. As the chicken and veggies simmer the broth will thicken.

Ingredients needed

Pollo guisado is made with simple ingredients. If you cook a lot you most likely already have the majority of these ingredients.

• chicken drumsticks
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ground black pepper
• Sazon Goya
• salt
• chicken bouillon
• oregano
• ground cumin
• olive oil
• roma tomatoes
• garlic cloves
• white onion
• serrano pepper
• fresh cilantro
• bay leaf
• gold potatoes
• whole carrots
• water

How to make guisado de pollo

The first step is to season the chicken. I used drumsticks but chicken thighs can also be used.

Put the chicken in a large bowl. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, Sazon Goya and salt to the chicken.

Mix well with your hands to make sure the chicken is evenly coated with the seasonings.

Set the chicken aside.

Next, it’s time to make the tomato sauce. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the blender along with the garlic cloves, piece of onion, serrano pepper, oregano (crush it between your palms to maximize it’s flavor), cumin, cilantro, chicken bouillon and water.

Blend until smooth and set aside.

Now, heat up the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the drumsticks. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Then flip the chicken over and continue browning for another 5 minutes.

Add the bay leaf and blended salsa to the skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Then reduce heat to medium low and cover.

Cook for 30 minutes.

While it’s cooking go ahead and peel and dice the potatoes. Reserve them in water so they don’t brown.

Also peel and chop the carrot. Set aside the veggies.

Then turn the chicken over and add the drained diced potatoes and chopped carrots. Cover and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

How long should pollo guisado cook?

In total the pollo guisado will cook for 1 hour. That includes the browning of the chicken and the simmering in the salsa.

You’ll know the chicken is done when it falls off the bone easily.

What to serve with Mexican chicken stew?

All this Mexican stew needs is a simple side of rice and some warm corn tortillas to soak up all the delicious salsa.

This will go great with some simple white rice or red rice. It’s totally up to you.

Some people like to squeeze some fresh lime juice over the stew. This is really good and I recommend you give it a try!

It really enhances the flavors.

Tips and Tricks for making guisado de pollo

• Crush the oregano between your palms before adding to the blender. This really helps to bring out it’s flavor.
• To reduce the spiciness of this recipe you can use just half of the serrano pepper or omit it all together.
• To reduce the greasiness of the stew remove some or all of the chicken skin. Do this before seasoning the chicken.

Looking for more chicken recipes? Check these out:

• Coca Cola chicken
• chicken entomatadas
• mustard chicken
• chicken taquitos
• mixiotes de pollo
• chicken salad

Pollo guisado recipe

Pollo guisado is an easy and flavorful dish that will impress your friends and family.

You’ll definitely want to keep it in your recipe rotation

I hope you love it as much as my family does.

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments below. And don’t forget to leave it a rating.

Thanks for visiting, see you soon!