Chicken Fricassee (Fricase De Pollo)
2 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 pieces
2 medium potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 medium carrots, sliced
5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 celery stock, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon sugar
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pitted olives
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken stock, unsalted
1/4 cup tomato sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil
Add olive oil to a heavy bottom pan and bring to medium heat.
Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent for about 6 minutes.
Deglaze the bottom of the pan by adding the wine and scraping the bottom to release any brown bits.
Add the chicken pieces and stir until they start to lose their pink color.
Add all the spices and mix well, then add the potatoes and carrots and stir again to make sure the vegetables are well coated with the spices.
Add the chicken stock, tomato sauce, raisins, olives, and sugar; stir to combine.
Cover the pot and turn the heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, uncover the pot and cook an additional 20 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking; and the sauce reduces and becomes creamy.
Serve over white rice with fried ripe plantains.
Enjoy!
Carrots and celery are not traditional vegetables in Cuban fricassee, but I like to add them, I think it sets my fricassee apart from others. Anyways that's the way my mother made it.
If you do not have marjoram and coriander, you could substitute them for Badia's Complete Seasoning or Badia's Tropical Seasoning. They are available in most Latin markets.