Kasher's Kitchen: Chicken Afritada

Chicken Afritada

Chicken Afritada is a chicken stew in tomato sauce with potatoes, carrots and bell peppers. Afritada is derived from the Spanish word “fritada” meaning fried. Somehow this must be the reason why the potatoes, carrots and chicken are half fried first before they were stewed in tomato sauce.

Preparation and cooking of this dish is almost similar to another Filipino dishes such as; Mechado, Menudo and Kalderate the difference are on the sauce preparation and some veggies are present to other dish and some are not, the final cooked dish may all look the same somehow. Familiarity with these dishes will able you to distinguish them from one another. For me this is how I separate them so that I know which dish is being served.

Afritada = meat + tomato sauce + potato + carrots + green peas + bell peppers + hotdogs + bay leaves

Mechado = meat + tomato sauce + potato + carrots + tomato puree + bay leaves

Menudo = meat cut in smaller pieces + tomato sauce + potato + carrots + soy sauce + hotdogs + bay leaves

Kaldereta = meat + tomato sauce + potato + carrots + green peas + bell peppers + liver paste + bay leaves + green olives + chilli powder

You can substitute the chicken with other meat of your choice, such as pork, beef, or lamb. Also, you can add, replace or omit some of the ingredients listed on my recipe with your own choice but bear in mind the mainstays are; tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, bell pepper and green peas. You can also not fry the carrots, potatoes and hotdogs, just add them once the chicken is cooked and soft and stewed till the veggies are cook.

When we were young this is typically being served during special occasions like birthdays, fiesta and etc. However, now a day this is now being served without any special occasion and cooked anytime we craved for this dish. Hope you give this dish a try.

Chicken Afritada Recipe

Ingredients

· 1 Kilo chicken, cut into serving pieces

· 1 large potato, quartered or you can use sweet potato

· 1 large carrot, sliced

· 1 large bell pepper, sliced

· 1 cup green peas

· 1 cup tomato sauce

· 4 cloves garlic, minced

· 4 pieces hotdogs, sliced (optional)

· 1 medium onion, diced

· 1 1/4 cups chicken broth or stock (1chicken cube dissolve in 1 ¼ cup hot water)

· 2 pieces dried bay leaves

· 1 teaspoon brown sugar

· 4 tablespoons cooking oil

· Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pour-in cooking oil in a cooking pot or casserole then apply heat.

2. Fried the potatoes then the carrots till slightly soft but not fully cooked

3. Remove the potatoes and carrots from the cooking pot.

4. Put-in the sliced hotdogs and pan-fried for about a minute

5. On the same cooking pot, sauté garlic and onions

6. Pan-fry the chicken until the color turns light brown (about 3 minutes per side).

7. Pour-in tomato sauce and chicken stock then add bay leaves. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken meat is soft and tender. Stir occasionally to avoid burning at the bottom and add additional ½ cup of water if the sauce is drying up.