Chicken Afritada Recipe

If I were to call an Afritada dish something, it would be a "classic". Along with Adobo, Sinigang and Lumpia,  this is one dish, almost every Pinoy household knows how to cook.  This tomato based stew is sold in  every run the mill Carenderias, cooked in many feast and special celebrations  or simple lunches and dinners back home. 

There's something comforting about this dish, plus it is easy enough to make . FF embraced this dish like a Filipino when I first cooked it. After all, it has everything he likes in a dish. The chicken, the potatoes, the carrots, the paprika  and of course, the tomato sauce. He generally loves tomato based dishes, so having this on the table is no- brainer.  The vegetables and meat needed in this dish is present in every  local markets and conveniently enough, all grocery shops. 

Just like any other dishes, every household has its own way of cooking Afritada. Some fry the potatoes and carrots first, some put sausages and peas in it. Pork and chicken is commonly use in this recipe and one can even combine both. This is how I did mine.

The Ingredients:  

•  2 chicken thighs and half chicken breast fillet, chopped into serving portions
• 2 small or 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• juice from 1 lime or 3 calamansi
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 -5 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 400 ml tomato sauce 
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 3-4 bay leaves
• salt and pepper ( you can use fish sauce instead of salt)
• 350 ml warm water
• vegetable oil for frying
• optional: chili peppers ( if you want it spicy)

Cooking Instruction:

 Marinate chicken pieces in soy sauce, minced garlic and lime juice for about an hour.
Crack the stove up to high. Heat a bit of oil , brown the meat pieces ( marinade and all) and take out from the pan. In the same pan, saute onion until transparent and aromatic. Put the meat back into the pan, stir until well combined. Pour tomato sauce ,50 ml warm water and pineapple juice. Bring the dish to a boil and once bubbly, turn the heat down to medium, let the meat and tomato sauce simmer for 15 mins, covered.

 Add in bay leaves, sliced carrots and potatoes. Cover the pan and continue simmering for 10 more minutes. If the sauce dries up too quickly, add a cup full of warm water and lower the Heat.

 Once the potatoes and carrots are just-tender, add in chili slices ( if using) and sliced bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper or Fish sauce if you like. Let the dish cook for 5 to 7 more minutes.  Serve with white rice and enjoy !

 

Chicken Afritada ala Emily