A Diana Henry recipe inspired by but not quite the same as the Dominican dish. This is perfect for a weeknight despite the long list of ingredients. Most will be in your cupboard and it’s really easy to put together. Lovely bright colours and flavours. This works on it’s own or with some crusty bread or rice.
Wine Suggestion: despite the inclination to go for a richer white, we felt in the mood for a red instead so chose Domaine Gayda’s Cepage Grenache. A brambly, dark red fruited wine with a juicy core and gentle, ripe tannins. We served it slightly cool to great effect and it made a delightful counterpoint to the chipotles (ours were very hot!).
Guisado de Pollo – serves 6
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 800g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 75g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2.5cm chunks
- 400g waxy potatoes, cut into 1cm chunks – you can peel them if you like, we didn’t bother
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, finely grated
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- a small tin of pineapple in natural juice, drained and cut into small chunks
- 400g tin plum tomatoes
- 1 tsp soft dark brown sugar
- 2 tinned chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, or 3 tbsp chipotle paste (reduce if your chipotles are very hot)
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 jalapeño chilli, halved lengthways and deseeded
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
- juice of 1 lime
- a small bunch of coriander, chopped, to serve
Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole and fry the chicken in batches until browned on both sides. It doesn’t need to be cooked through at this stage. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Add the chopped pumpkin and potato to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until starting to colour. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion and pepper to the pan and cook until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic cand cumin and cook for another 2 minutes.
Stir in the pineapple, tomatoes, sugar, chipotles, thyme, chicken stock. Season and bring slowly to a simmer.
Cut the chicken into thick strips, then add to the casserole along with any juices from the plate. Add the potatoes, pumpkin and the jalapeño. Stir gently then leave to simmer for 25 minutes without a lid. Give it a stir now and again. It’s ready when the vegetables are soft and the sauce thickened.
Add the capers and lime juice and season to taste. Stir in the coriander and serve.
(Original recipe from A Bird in the Hand by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2015.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 