📋Chicken Afritada (Filipino Chicken Stew)

Chicken, carrots, and potatoes simmered in tomato-based sauce in a large pot.

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📋Chicken Afritada (Filipino Chicken Stew)

Chicken Afritada is a classic Filipino chicken stew that features tender chicken, carrots, potatoes, and other vegetables cooked in a tomato-based sauce. This savory stew is comforting and delicious when eaten with jasmine rice. Like with any stew, the dish tastes even better the next day as it absorbs all the flavors.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Filipino

Servings: servings

Calories: 656kcal

Author: Jyothi Rajesh

Ingredients

4 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks with skin
1 white onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup canned tomatoes crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon fish sauce optional
1 tablespoon light soy sauce low sodium
1 teaspoon brown sugar adjust to taste
1 cup chicken stock or chicken broth
1 large carrot
2 medium-sized potatoes
2 cups bell pepper red, yellow, and green
1 cup frozen green peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot. Place the chicken with the skin side down first. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Sear and brown chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Remove browned chicken from the oil and set aside.
Add extra oil to the pot. Sauté diced onion and minced garlic.
Scrape the pot while sauteing to get the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Add crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce), turn the heat low, and let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
To the sauce, add bay leaves, fish sauce (optional), light soy sauce, and brown sugar. Place the seared chicken back in the sauce.
Gently stir the sauce, allowing the chicken to be submerged in the sauce.
Pour chicken stock or chicken broth, stir well.
Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir at regular intervals, and if the sauce is thick, adjust consistency by adding a splash of stock or water.
Add carrots and potatoes along with some more stock. Stir well, cover with the lid, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked and potatoes and carrots are soft, add bell peppers, frozen peas, and stir well. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot with rice.

Video

Notes

Cut carrots and potatoes into uniform sizes so they cook evenly.
I recommend using chicken with bone-in and skin-on pieces as they add loads of flavor to the stew.
Don’t skip searing/browning the chicken first before adding it to the stew. This adds depth of flavor.
Fish sauce is optional; I highly recommend it. It adds umami flavor to the stew.
Feel free to tweak the amount of soy sauce to suit your taste preference.
You can include other vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms.
For a thicker, richer sauce base, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
The dish tastes even better the next day as it absorbs all the flavors.

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition