Dish of Picante de Pollo
(click to enlarge)

Chicken Picante


Bolivia   -   Picante de Pollo
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 main
***
2-2/3 hrs
Prep		 This popular dish is sometimes called the "national dish" of Bolivia. For its standard accompaniments see Serving. It can also be served buffet style, see Buffet.




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Chicken Thigh (1)  
Chilis, Dried (2)
Tomato ripe
Onion, White
Garlic
Peas, frozen
-- Spicing
Cumin
Oregano, dry
Salt
Pepper, blk
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Olive Oil
Broth (3)
-- Serve With
Potatoes, boiled
Salsa Cruda
Steamed Rice
Prep   -   (1 hr soaking - 40 min work)
  1. Break CHILIS into large pieces and shake out any seeds that will go. Soak in warm water until soft, an hour or more. Drain and squeeze out water. Run in a Food Processor, Mixie, or Blender, adding as much water as needed to make a smooth paste.
  2. Skin and bone CHICKEN as needed - see Chicken. For Table Service you can leave the thighs whole, for Buffet Service, cut them into largish bite size pieces.
  3. Scald TOMATOES 1 minute in boiling water, quench in cold water, then peel and chop small.
  4. Chop ONIONS fine.
  5. Crush GARLIC and chop fine.
  6. Grind Cumin and mix all Spicing items.
Run   -   (1-2/3 min)
  1. In a sauté pan (3-1/2 quart) or similar, heat Olive Oil and fry Onions over moderate heat until golden. For the last few minutes stir in the Garlic.
  2. Stir in Spicing mix, Chili Paste, and Broth, then add Chicken. Bring to boil, then simmer 15 minutes.
  3. Add Tomatoes and continue to simmer covered for another 40 minutes, or until Chicken is tender. Use tongs to turn the chicken over a coouple of times.
  4. When ready to serve, stir in Frozen Peas and simmer another 3 minutes.
  5. Serve hot with Boiled Potatoes on the side, Salsa Cruda spooned over both. and steamed long grain rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken Thigh:

      Weight is skinless, boneless chicken meat. The pattern recipe called for breast, but I use thigh meat for better flavor and texture than the cardboard breasts we get around here.

  2. Chilis, Dried:

      Most recipes call for Aji Panco, a rather low heat chili that's imperfectly available in North America. Some Bolivians use Aji Amarillo, which is yellow or orange. I used Chili Negro, which is a bit hotter, but still made a mild dish. It is a very dark chili, so my sauce is quite dark. For details see our pages Chilis of South America and Mexican Chilis.

  3. Broth:

      Some recipes allow just water, but Broth will provide a better result. I make broth from the skins and bones I remove from the thighs. If you don't have Chicken or Vegetable broth on hand, fake it up with some Chicken Powder.

  4. Serving:

      In Bolivia this dish is usually served with Steamed Rice, Potatoes, and "Chuño Phuti" at the side, and a topping of Salsa Cruda. Chuño Phuti is made from freeze dried potatoes (Chuño), eggs and cheese. Chuño is not a pantry staple here in North America, it adds a lot of complexity to making this dish, and it's an "acquired taste", so I omited it. For details see our Chuño page.

  5. Buffet:

      This recipe can be made as a buffet dish. Cut the Chicken into large bite sized chunks. Cook Potatoes separately and stir in near the end of cooking. Stir in the Peas just before serving, as they lose their bright color quickly. Serve from a slow cooker set to "keep warm", with the Salsa Cruda in a bowl nearby. This recipe produces 2 pounds, not including potatoes or salsa.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

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