Chicken Fricassee - Latin Style

Ingredients

3 pounds of chicken pieces, trimmed
6-8 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup of sofrito
4 oz tomatoe paste
1 cup of green olives with pimentos
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of capers
2 cups of carrots chopped 1-inch thick
2 cups of Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of water
1 cup of chicken broth


My initial attempts at chicken fricassee were doomed from the start because many recipes use, in my opinion, too much oil. My family and I prefer a clean recipe with relatively little fat. I came up with my recipe via trial and error.

Start with about 3 pounds of chicken thighs and/or drumsticks. Keep the skin on but trim the fat and excess skin from each piece of chicken to reduce the total fat. In a large dutch oven, heat about 3-4 table spoons of oil to a shimmer. Brown your chicken on both sides on medium to medium-high in batches and set aside. Once you place the chicken in the pot, don't move it until the skin lets go. If you try to move the chicken before it's ready, you'll just tear the skin. Be patient and let it brown. If you brown in batches, then add enough oil to cook the next batch.

If the fronds in the bottom of the pot burn, then it's better to continue the cooking process with a clean pot, than to continue on to the next steps. Once you brown the chicken set it aside and turn the heat down. Add the sofrito, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Saute until just fragrant. Next add the green olives with pimentos, bay leaves, and capers.

Layer the chicken in the pot and then evenly layer the carrots and potatoes . Combine the chicken broth with the water along with good white wine. Remember, you're braising the chicken so the top half of the chicken and all of the carrots and potatoes should remain exposed . Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

Serve over plain white rice and enjoy.