Chicken Afritada

 is one of those special, Spanish-inspired Filipino dishes that are most common during “fiestas”, birthday celebrations, and other special occasions. Just like the Mechado and Caldereta, this popular Filipino dish is a tomato sauce-based chicken stew dressed with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. The word “afritada” is actually a Spanish word which means fried. Don’t get the wrong idea, but you don’t actually just fry the chicken and call it Chicken Afritada. Frying the chicken until it’s medium brown is only the first part of the whole Chicken Afritada process.

There are some variations of this recipe like if you prefer to use pork instead of chicken. Either way, the cooking process remains the same.
Estimated time of preparation: 10 minutes
Estimated time of cooking 30-45 minutes
Good for 4-6 persons

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 kg chicken, cut into serving size
2 medium potatoes, chunks
1 large carrot, chunks
1 medium red & green bell pepper, chunks

1 medium onion, chunks
1/4 cup green peas
4 gloves garlic, minced
1 200 grams tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt & pepper to taste
3 tbsp cooking oil

PROCEDURES:

1. Sauté garlic and onions in hot oil in a saucepan or pot.
2. Add chicken and fry a little bit until light brown.
3. Pour the tomato sauce and stock. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken is almost tender.
4. Add potatoes and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
5. Add the green & red bell peppers, Simmer for an additional 2 minutes.
6. Salt & pepper to taste.

HOT TIP:
You can also semi-fry the potatoes before adding them.