Dominican Republic: Pollo Guisado con Moro

For my first article, Esther taught me how to make Pollo Guisado con Moro, a comforting dish of stewed chicken and rice from the Dominican Republic. This dish is fairly quick to make and requires only a few ingredients. This moro (rice) slathered in the sauce from the pollo guisado (chicken stew) is the perfect dish for a cold winter day. Once you see how easy it is, it’s sure to become part of your week night staples. To learn more about Esther, the DR, and this awesome recipe, read the full article.

SOFRITO (for both recipes)

A head of garlic

A tablespoon or two of oregano

Salt, but not too much, to taste

MORO

Grapeseed oil, or oil of choice

½ yellow onion, diced

½ red bell pepper, diced

2 tbsp of sofrito (see above)

2 tbsp of tomato paste

¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

2 15oz cans of black beans (or beans of choice), drained and rinsed

3 cups of rice, rinsed (we used carolina long grain)

6 cups of water

Salt, to taste

POLLO GUISADO

Grapeseed oil, or oil of choice

1 tbsp of granulated sugar

6 chicken thighs, bone in

½ cup apple cider vinegar

~250ml of dry red wine (we used a yellowtail cab)

1.5 red bell peppers

1.5 yellow onions

¼ cup cilantro, fresh or frozen, roughly chopped

2 tbsp of sofrito (see above)

Salt, to taste

Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

Avocado (optional)

Make the moro:

1. Heat a pot with a ½ inch of grapeseed oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, saute the pepper and onion for a few minutes until the onions become translucent.

2. Add the tomato paste, sofrito, and cilantro and stir. Let the flavors blend for a few minutes.

3. Mix the beans into your sofrito base and let the whole pot heat up for a few moments, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in the rice.

5. Add the water (adding slightly less if you prefer a dryer rice!) and bring to a boil.

6. Once the water is boiling, let boil uncovered for approximately ~5 minutes before covering.

7. Cover and simmer over low heat for approximately 20 minutes or as indicated on your rice’s package. This is the perfect time to work on your chicken!

Make the pollo guisado:

1. Remove the skins from your chicken thighs and set them in a large bowl.

2. Heat oil over med-high in a stainless steel pan about ~4 inches deep. 

3. Add to the chicken thighs apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp of sofrito, red pepper flakes (optional) and a little extra salt.

4. Sprinkle your sugar over the hot oil and let it dissolve. No need to stir it in, it should slightly brown and fade into the oil.

5. Once the sugar is dissolved, add your chicken to the pan. Let it brown for about 7 minutes on each side. You can check if your chicken is ready to flip by if it “releases” or becomes easy to slide around on the bottom of the pan. 

6. Top your browned thighs with the peppers, onions, more cilantro, and about half of your remaining sofrito. Move them around the chicken until they begin to soften slightly, about 5-7 minutes.

7. Pour the wine over the thighs and scrape the bottom of the pan around the thighs, picking up all of the little brown bits on the bottom. 

8. Once the wine comes up to a simmer, lower the heat to keep it simmering. Cover the pan and let the chicken stew in the wine for about 20 minutes, or until it starts to fall off the bone. 

Make the tostones:

1. In a small to medium frying pan or pot, heat about 2-3 inches of oil over high heat. You can also cut back on oil if you’d like here, or even use a little bit of coconut oil for a hint of sweetness.

2. Peel and cut your plantains on a diagonal, about 1.5 inches thick. Set up a plate with 3 layers of paper towels.

3. Once the oil is shimmering, add your plantains and fry until they are lightly golden brown, about 1-2 minutes on each side. They’ll continue browning once you remove them, so it’s better to remove them too early here than too late. Place onto the paper towel plate. 

4. Repeat this process until you’re finished with your plantains. Do not turn off the oil.

5. If you’re using a tostonera, you probably don’t need to read this recipe. If you’re not, take the paper bag or pieces of parchment and place one on top and one beneath the plantain. Smack it down with a wooden spoon or a frying pan. Remove and lay on paper towels.

6. Add the smashed plantains back into the hot oil. Let them fry a second time until perfectly crispy, about 1-2 minutes. 

7. Remove the plantains from the oil and let rest on paper towels. Season generously with salt.

Read the full article.