Dominican Series: Asopao de Pollo

Be on the lookout for recipes just like this one – ones I wrote down (in a weird combination of English and Spanish shorthand!) this holiday season in my Mom’s Dominican kitchen perched on a plastic white chair as I watched her stir, chop, and simmer. These recipes haven’t been “tested” as we say in the culinary world. Better yet, they’ve been made over and over and over again by Mami for the past 20 years. Feeding my father, myself, and both my younger brothers, these are the recipes I grew up on and I’ve started with one of my favorites: Asopao de Pollo. 

Crazy thing is, I’m surprised I even took a photo of this dish, it’s THAT good. Rich and creamy for the tomato sauce, the tiny rice share the bowl with gorgeously moist chicken and when paired with a few slices of fresh avocado, it’s a complete meal and one of the first meals my Mom made M and I when we landed in the Dominican Republic!

Asopao de Pollo can be loosely translated into English as a Dominican version of the Italian risotto, without the endless stirring and the added cheese. More like a stew thicken with rice, tomatoes, and meat. A one pot meal that’s fantastic to have on rainy Dominican days or cold New England nights, it’s a versatile dish that’s easy to adapt with whatever you have in the fridge and pantry.

Try this with all pork, including some spicy sausage; maybe pair the chicken with some rabbit meat for a little added gamey-ness; even better, make this a seafood dish by adding shrimp during the last 10 minutes of cooking!

Dominican Series: Asopao de Pollo

The perfect dish on a cold winter night and a traditional Dominican dish, this recipes is straight from my Mom's kitchen to your screen. Rich tomato flavors will have you coming back for seconds!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1-2 smoked pork chops diced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 3 teaspoon adobo seasoning
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 whole chicken quartered
• 1 small can tomato sauce*
• 5 cups water
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• ½ lime juiced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large stock pot and add diced pork chop. While cooking, season chicken with oregano, cilantro, adobo, and salt. Add to stock pot with tomato sauce and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, turning chicken pieces as they cook.
• After 20 minutes and the chicken is slightly seared, add water, rice, and lime juice. Cook uncovered for 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. (If during the cooking, you see you need extra water or the rice dries out too quickly, just had a splash of water!) Before serving, stir in olive oil and butter.
• Serve topped with fresh cilantro and avocado slices.

Notes

Make sure the tomato sauce ISN'T pizza sauce or tomato paste or have any extra added sugar. My Mom uses a local tomato sauce, but you can use something like this and it would work well.

Servings: 6 -8 servings