One of the most common dishes in a Filipino lunch or dinner table is Chicken Afritada. This recipe is a relative of the menudo. We probably inherited this dish from the Spaniards in the 400 years of being a Spanish colony. This is so easy to cook too.
Chicken Afritada or afritadang manok is a type of Filipino chicken stew with tomato based sauced. It is a simple dish that can be cooked on regular days. It is perfect for lunch and is better when eaten with warm white rice.
Start by sautéing garlic and onion. Do this by heating oil in a cooking pot. Add onion and garlic until the onion softens. It is ideal to use a pot with cover.
Add the sliced chicken afterwards. Bone-in chicken was used for this recipe. Boneless chicken breast or thighs can also be used. Cook each side of the chicken for around 30 seconds and then pour tomato sauce and water. We’ll need to tenderize the chicken at this point. This is when the pot cover gets handy. Add the bay leaves and then cover the pot and continue to cook until the chicken gets tender. This takes around 30 minutes. Remember to add more broth or water if needed.
While you are waiting for the chicken to soften...
In a separate pan, fry your potatoes & carrots then when it is already cooked, we just need to add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for 10 more minutes. So add the carrot, potato, green peas, seasoning. Fish sauce or patis can be used as an alternative ingredient to salt. But my secret ingredient is Kikkoman Soy Sauce.
I usually add Kikkoman soy sauce when everything is already cooked and almost ready to serve.
Try this Easy Chicken Afritada recipe. Let me know what you think of this Spanish inherited popular Filipino recipe.
