Chicken Afritada is a classic Filipino chicken stew cook in tomato sauce with hotdog, potatoes, carrots, green peas, green and red bell pepper. Afritada is also cooked with pork or beef and it is delicious as well.
Chicken Afritada is simple and easy to make. If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes, you could. Use a food processor or blender to puree tomatoes or mince it using a knife.
If you like it saucy, add more water or broth while cooking chicken. Families with kids usually prefer this type while I like a thicker sauce than runny.
This chicken afritada recipe taste even better after a day once all the ingredients have blended well. Filipinos love to eat this chicken dish with white rice even though it can be a meal in itself.
If you are not familiar with fish sauce (patis), you can eliminate it and just season with salt. Also, I tend to lightly season with anything salty especially if my mom is here with me. I serve fish sauce on the side for others who prefer to add more flavor to the dish.
To cook this dish quicker, you could use an instant pot but cooking instruction will slightly differ.
Tips in Cooking Chicken Afritada
- Use chicken thigh or drumstick instead of chicken breast as it is tastier with chicken bones.
- Marinate thighs in fish sauce for at least ½ an hour in the fridge.
- Cut potato when ready to fry so it doesn’t turn brown or submerge it in cold water if not frying right away. Pat dry with paper towel before frying.
- Fry potato, carrot, green and red pepper so they stay crisp instead of soggy and mushy.
- If you are health conscious, trim all the chicken fat and leave some chicken skin as it adds flavor to this simple chicken afritada recipe.
- Brown chicken before you saute all the ingredients.
If you prefer not to do the above, below is the easier way.
Easy Way to Cook Chicken Afritada
- Saute onion and garlic.
- Add and brown chicken for about 2 minutes.
- Stir-in the tomato sauce, water or chicken broth, hotdog, fish sauce and bay leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes in medium to low heat.
- Add potato and carrots. Cook until chicken and vegetables are tender.
- Toss-in green peas, green and red pepper.
- Simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Note: Use the measurements in the recipe below.
If you like pork instead of chicken, check out my pork recipe.
Try Other Delicious Easy Stew Recipe
Kielbasa Chicken and Bean Stew
Curry Oxtail Stew Instant Pot
Beef Mechado Recipe
Pork Menudo Recipe
How to Cook Chicken Afritada
Recipe
Chicken Afritada
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs cut 3in x 3in
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 small can (8 oz 227g) tomato sauce
- 2 hotdog cut diagonally
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 medium potato cut 1in x 2in
- 1 medium carrot sliced diagonally ½ in thick
- 1 small green bell pepper sliced
- 1 small red bell pepper sliced
- ¾ cup water or chicken broth
- ¼ cup green peas
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate chicken thighs with fish sauce for about 30 minutes or while you prepare all the ingredients. Place in fridge.
- Add enough oil to fry potato and carrot. Once done, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
- Remove excess oil in skillet and leave about 3 tablespoons of oil.
- Fry green and red pepper for a minute. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Fry both sides of chicken for 2 minutes. This will add more flavor to your dish.
- Move chicken around skillet and saute onion for a minute.
- Toss-in garlic and cook for a minute.
- Stir-in hotdog and cook for a minute.
- Add tomato sauce, water or chicken broth, bay leaves and ground black pepper. Simmer until chicken is cooked on medium to low heat.
- Toss-in potato and carrot. Blend well and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Stir-in green peas, red and green bell pepper. Simmer for a minute.
- Season with salt.
- Serve with fish sauce, if desired. Enjoy!
Melissa Reyes says
Shout out to extra potatoes! My family always fights over the potatoes even before they’re added to the Chicken Afritada! Also, love the sauce for this dish – the chicken and vegetables compliment each other!
Fortune says
Glad you like it! It doesn't hurt to add more potatoes. Thank you.