Pollo Pendejo Foolproof Chicken Recipes

POLLO PENDEJO (FOOLPROOF CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Put the adobo and Worcestershire sauce in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and starts to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the leftover marinade. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until it browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved marinating liquid, the beer and the mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick with the consistency of heavy cream, about 15 minutes or so.*You may need to add a bit of corn starch to thicken the sauce here* Remove from the heat and serve.

POLLO DIABLO (GARLICKY, SPICY, DEEP-FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or deep-fryer heat oil to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a handheld mixer until frothy. Place the chicken pieces into the egg whites, mixing until each piece is covered. Sprinkle with a pinch each of garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir to distribute.
• Dredge the chicken pieces in cornstarch, draining most of the egg white from chicken by picking up a handful and allowing the egg white to drain while moving to the cornstarch. Cover the pieces completely by turning in corn starch.
• Pick up the chicken in handfuls and transfer from hand to hand to shake off most of the starch. If using a deep-fryer place the pieces into a fry basket. Lower into hot fry oil and shake basket after 10 to 15 seconds to make sure the pieces separate as they cook. Fry until the pieces float on top of the oil and are light brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. The chicken should appear somewhat dry, not oily, when the basket is lifted. If frying in a Dutch oven place pieces of chicken in hot oil and fry until light brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• For the garlic mixture:
• In a small bowl, add all the garlic mixture ingredients and toss to thoroughly combine.
• Place 1 tablespoon of hot chili oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil into a hot wok or saute pan over medium to high heat. Immediately put 4 tablespoons of the garlic mixture and 1/3 cup chopped green onions into the oil, stirring with a spoon to lightly cook the garlic mixture, being careful not to brown. Add approximately 2 cups of the fried chicken and toss to cover with the sauce. Finish them with a pinch of garlic salt. Toss once more and serve. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

POLLY'S FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, soak the chicken in enough salted water to cover in the refrigerator overnight. Add about 1 tablespoon salt per cup of water. Drain the chicken and shake off the excess water. In a pie plate, mix together the flour, pepper and salt. Roll the chicken in the flour to coat. Into two 12-inch cast iron skillets, pour enough vegetable oil to come to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in each skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, 305 degrees F.
• Using tongs, carefully add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, making sure there is a lot of space between the pieces. Cook all the chicken at the same time. Cover the skillets and lower the heat to medium. After 15 minutes, the bottom sides should be brown. Turn the pieces over with the tongs, and continue to cook, covered, browning on all sides, and adjusting the heat as necessary. Remove the breast pieces after 12 minutes. All the chicken should be cooked in about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain. Serve immediately.

POLLO GUISADO (CHICKEN STEW)

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first four ingredients. Add the chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight., In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in oil. Stir in the potatoes, water and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. Add additional water if necessary. Discard bay leaves before serving.

EL POLLO LOCO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Marinate chicken in zip-lock bag over-nite.
• Reserve 1/4 cup marinade to baste while cooking, making sure the chicken cooks on both sides minutes AFTER basting the final time--we don't want our Italian friend Sal Monilla to show up :-).
• Grill over indirect heat, turning 4 times, 12 minutes each time.
• Serve with your favorite tortillas, rice and Borracho beans.

POLLO MECHADO (SHREDDED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a work surface and cool until easily handled.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion for about 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper; cook and stir until onion and pepper are softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Cover skillet and cook onion mixture until slightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Shred chicken using your hands and sprinkle into the onion mixture. Add sherry and capers; season with salt. Cook and stir chicken mixture until heated through and flavors have blended, 10 to 15 minutes. Mix cilantro and tomatoes into chicken mixture; cook and stir until tomatoes start to break down, 5 to 10 minutes.

POLLO SALTADO (PERUVIAN-STYLE CHICKEN STIR-FRY)

Steps:

• Place chicken strips in a resealable plastic bag with soy sauce, vinegar, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and garlic. Seal bag and shake up to cover chicken completely. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes and as long as 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Arrange frozen fries in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until light golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large wok on high heat. Add the marinated chicken. Cook, flipping pieces occasionally, until mostly white on the surface, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add onion, bell pepper, and aji pepper to the wok with the chicken. Continue stir-frying until onions are slightly translucent but still hold their shape, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Arrange baked fries on plates and place the chicken stir-fry on top.

POLLO CRIOLLO (DOMINICAN CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Mix the garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper together with the vinegar and white wine. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the chicken pieces, turning to coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
• Remove the chicken, wipe off excess marinade and pat dry. Lightly dust each piece with the seasoned flour. Over medium-high heat, warm half of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Turn and cook for 10 more minutes.
• Remove the chicken and drain on a paper towel, pouring off as much oil as possible. Return the pan to high heat, add 1 cup of water, scrape well and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Set aside.
• In a heavy casserole over medium heat, warm the remaining quarter cup of olive oil. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring to avoid burning. Add the shallots and garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the broth resulting from the deglazing, as well as the tomato puree, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and capers and stir. Simmer for a minute or 2, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Add the chicken, turning each piece so that it is covered as much as possible. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40 to 50 minutes, until a fork inserted into the thigh yields clear juice. Serve with beans and rice.