Pollo Guisado, the Latin Chicken Stew I Make with Sofrito (Recaito)

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Pollo guisado is a Latin chicken stew, and every family has their own recipe and don’t make it quite the same way. Puerto Rican versions lean on sofrito and olives. This one’s my homemade version inspired by my cousin’s recipe, built on recaito, and it’s ready to serve in about an hour.

If you’ve made my sudado de pollo, this one is quite similar. The difference is the recaito, the best Puerto Rican sofrito, which brings a cilantro and pepper in Puerto Rican cooking. The sudado is a Colombian version leans on tomato and onion, or hogao.

overhead view of pollo guisado in a bowl

Why You’ll Love This Pollo Guisado

It’s one pot. The Dutch oven is perfect for this recipe.
Bone-in chicken for incredible flavor.
The potatoes thicken the pollo guisado as they cook, I prefer no additional thickner.
It’s better the next day, and it reheats so easily.
Two pieces per person stretches which makes it the perfect family dinner recipe, and ideal for the budget.

What You’ll Need

The chicken

Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, about 2.5 lbs (all thighs works, drumsticks alone works, just keep the bones) I figure two pieces per person, so add more from there if you’re cooking for your family or batch cooking. I made 4 thighs, and the rest drumsticks.
Lime, half of one (lemon works but lime is brighter)
Apple cider vinegar, for cleaning (white vinegar works too)

The seasonings in pollo guisado

Adobo
Sazon
Onion powder
White pepper (or black pepper, white just keeps the sauce looking cleaner)
Roasted cumin powder (regular ground cumin works, you lose a little of the toasted flavor)
Ginger powder
Oregano

Or skip measuring these out one by one and lean on the adobo and sazon alone. You’ll lose some depth but it still works.

The pot

Extra virgin olive oil
Onion, one medium, finely diced (yellow or sweet, either one)
Garlic cloves, optional. I can go either way since the recaito already has plenty
Red bell pepper, half (any color works, red is just sweeter)
Recaito, or my Quick and Easy Puerto Rican Sofrito (the jarred kind from the store works too). This is where the deep flavor comes from
Bay leaves
Tomato paste
Tomato sauce, one 8 oz can
Low sodium chicken broth, one 32 oz box (go low sodium, the adobo and sazon already bring salt)
optional: carrots, chopped and added with the potatoes

The potatoes

Yellow creamer potatoes, about 12 oz, quartered (baby reds work the same way, and a larger yellow potato cut into walnut-sized pieces will too). If you prefer a starchier potato to thicken the stew a bit more, go with a large russet.
Cilantro, to garnish (skip it if you’re one of the people it tastes like soap to)

Why I Buy the Small Potatoes

Creamer potatoes (small waxy potatoes) hold their shape through a long simmer but still give up enough starch to thicken the pot.

A big russet breaks down into mush before the chicken’s done, and a waxy potato never thickens anything.
If all you’ve got is a larger yellow potato, cut it into pieces about the size of a walnut and it’ll behave the same way.

How to Make Pollo Guisado

Not everyone cleans the chicken, but I have to start by cleaning the chicken in water and apple cider vinegar, then drain it well. Take this time to remove the skin. Then squeeze the lime over it, season it, and let it sit while you dice the onion and pepper.

Sear the chicken lightly in olive oil, both sides, just to get some color. I love making this in a Dutch oven for the perfect sear, and cooking. It isn’t cooking through here, so pull it out to a plate as soon as it browns.

overhead view of seared chicken in Dutch oven

The diced onion goes in next and cooks until it turns translucent, then the red pepper for a few minutes after. When the recaito goes in with the remaining seasonings and bay leaves, give it a good two minutes in the hot oil before anything of the wet ingredients is added to the pot. That’s the best way to develop and deepen the flavors.

overhead view of diced onions cooking in Dutch oven

Tomato paste next, cooked down until it darkens, then the tomato sauce for two to four minutes. Return the chicken and turn it in the sauce about two minutes a side so every piece is coated.

overhead view of onions cooked in dutch oven

Pour in enough broth to just cover the chicken, add the potatoes, and let it simmer covered for forty-five minutes to an hour. You’re looking for tender chicken that pulls away from the bone and a broth that’s thickened on its own.

Check the recipe card below for full instructions and amounts.

overhead view of pollo guisado in Dutch oven

The Two Minutes That Change Everything

When the recaito and dry seasonings hit the hot oil, they bloom. The fat pulls the flavor out of the spices in a way water never will. Skip it and you’ve got a stew that tastes like tomato instead of pollo guisado.
You’ll know it’s working when the kitchen smells like it. Two minutes, then the tomato paste goes in.

Top Tips

Let the seasoned chicken rest. A few minutes in the bowl before it hits the pan. It’s short, but it makes a difference.

Don’t crowd the sear. Work in two batches if you need to. Chicken that steams instead of browning gives you nothing.

Taste before you add salt. Adobo and sazon both have salt, and can be quite salty and the broth reduces as it simmers.

Pull the bay leaves before serving. Easy to forget once the pot is full.

Pollo Guisado FAQs

What is pollo guisado?

It means stewed chicken in Spanish. It’s a one-pot braise of bone-in chicken in tomato sauce, and you’ll find a version of it all over Latin America. Puerto Rico makes it one way and the Dominican Republic another, with Colombia doing its own thing again.

How do you say it?

Poh-yoh gee-SAH-doh. The double L sounds like a Y, and the U is silent.

Can I use boneless chicken?

You can, but the deepens the flavor and sauce will be thinner. The bones release collagen as the stew simmers and that’s what gives it body. If boneless is what you have, cut the simmer to about twenty-five minutes so the meat doesn’t dry out.

How do I make it thicker?

The potatoes do most of it on their own. If you want it thicker than that, take the lid off for the last fifteen minutes, or press a few potato pieces against the side of the pot and stir them back in.

Storage and Reheating

Let it cool, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Like most stews, the flavor settles overnight and the second day’s better than the first.

Reheat it gently on the stove over low heat. Add a splash of broth or water if it’s tightened up, and stir carefully so the potatoes stay whole.

What to Serve With Pollo Guisado

A spoon of white rice for the best pairing. The sauce is everything in this recipe, and add something to absorb the best stew. And even add a few slices of avocado. Here are the sides I put love to serve with this pollo guisado:

Vegan Arroz con Gandules turns it into a perfect Sunday dinner.

Crispy Patacones con Hogao for something crisp against all that sauce.

Black Beans and Rice with Green Chiles if you want the rice with delicious beans this is the best recipe.

The Many Ways to Cook With Plantains for sweet maduros this is the classic pairing.

If You Like This You’ll Love These

Here are a few others I’ve made and loved:

Colombian Chicken Stew (Sudado de Pollo) for the version I grew up eating.

Puerto Rican Sancocho for the bigger pot.

57 Delicious Sunday Dinner Ideas for the Table for everything else that simmers.

Rice Recipes That I Love to Make for whatever goes underneath.

If you make this pollo guisado, leave a comment. I love reading your comments and will try to get back to every single one.

overhead view of a bowl of pollo guisado with white rice

Olga