Food of the Philippines: Filipino chicken afritada

Chicken Afritada
Filipino Chicken Afritada recipe – “This Spanish dish never tasted so good”. Despite being an easy and flexible dish to throw together, it is guaranteed to impress your friends and family.

Chicken Afritada, also known as Apritadang Manok, is a classic tomato sauce based dish adapted from traditional Spanish cuisine. This dish dates back as far as the 16th Century. The word Afritada is taken from the Spanish word “fritada” meaning “fried”. Obviously, this is a big clue about how this dish is prepared.

When cooking this dish it is best to first pan fry the chicken and vegetables before stewing in tomato sauce. The common Filipino ingredients are potatoes, carrots and bell peppers. Others enjoy adding green peas, long chili peppers, string beans, ketchup, evaporated milk and pineapple. My personal favorite to add to this dish is the peas, string beans and pineapple. It is thanks to this flexibility that even a last-minute visit to the market or store will provide you with the ingredients you need.

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Also, you can use this exact same recipe for pork instead of chicken for the great taste of Pork Afritada.

Chicken Afritada Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs chicken (thighs and legs) – cut in serving pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 small onion – diced
  • 2 bell peppers (red, green, or combination) – sliced
  • 1 potato – quartered
  • 1 carrot – cut in chunks
  • 1/4 cup green peas (optional)
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • Fish sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cooking oil

Method:

  1. Pan fry the chicken pieces until light brown all over. Set aside
  2. Pan fry the potato and carrots for about three or four minutes. Set aside
  3. Sauté the garlic and onion. Add chicken and season with fish sauce to taste (optional).
  4. Allow time for seasoning to be absorbed.
  5. Add the tomato sauce and simmer until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.
  6. Add the carrot, potato, and bell pepper. Stew, and balance seasoning with salt and pepper according to taste.

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