When Raf and I were first married (almost 30 years ago now!) we lived in Panama for a few years. As I had never been exposed to Latin food (not Mexican…Latin) I was enthralled with all the different flavors I tasted in Panama. My mother-in-law Rosario is a wonderful cook and this dish was one of the first I was able to glean from her. Although technically this is a Dominican Republic classic, my adapted version, in which I omit the green pepper, I consider purely Panamanian! Usually it’s served over a bed of white rice but today I served it over Rice & Red Beans (recipe below), another Latin classic and added a few Goya Platano Maduros on the side. It was absolutely delicious! Let me know if you like it as much as we do…Enjoy!  

Pollo Gisado
6-8 boneless chicken thighs (today I used 2 large chicken breasts, bone-in)
1 onion, diced
1 garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced (optional)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 small potatoes
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth

Place chicken in a large bowl and combine with onion, garlic, tomato (I didn’t have a tomato today but I do prefer adding it in), seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Marinate the chicken while you peel and dice the potatoes. Place diced potatoes in a bowl filled with water until you’re ready to use them. Place marinated chicken and juices into a medium-large sauce pot and cook on medium heat, covered for 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and add to the pot along with the tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring chicken back to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer on low for 40 minutes until potatoes are tender and chicken is starting to fall apart. Meanwhile prepare the rice.

Rice & Red Beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth
1-15 oz can Goya red beans in sauce

In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté for three minutes. Add rice, cumin, thyme, salt & pepper. Sauté for two minutes. Add in chicken broth, bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer five minutes. Add beans & their juices. Bring back to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer ten minutes or until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.

Now you can serve this dish two ways. You can give everyone their own chicken thigh or breast and serve it with the rice, potatoes and broth…or you can take the chicken off the bone and cut up into bite-sized chunks and mix in with the potatoes & sauce. This is the way we serve it so it goes a long way! Then serve the cut up chicken, potatoes & sauce over the rice & red beans…add some platano maduros and enjoy a delicious Latin meal!

Enjoy!

Linda~