When I was living in Miami and strictly following the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), I used to make this chicken all the time. While it is not technically a traditional Puerto Rican dish per se, it still tastes authentically Puerto Rican, thanks to the sofrito, and is a dish I’m sure you’ll love to add to your rotation, too. You can also deviate a bit from tradition and bulk it up with additional AIP-compliant vegetables of choice, such as carrots or zucchini. Use this recipe instead of the Pollo Desmechado for an AIP-compliant arepa topping.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp (55 g) AIP-compliant Sofrito
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cups (260 g) diced carrot, zucchini or other AIP-approved vegetable (optional)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp (6 g) fine Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp (2 g) dried oregano
- 1 lime juice
- 2 tbsp (30 g) pure pumpkin puree, to thicken the sauce (optional)
- 2 cups (280 g) Simple Shredded Chicken, or 2 lb (905 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1” to 1½” (2.5 to 4 cm) pieces
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
How to Make It
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the sofrito and cook until the sofrito is fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes (longer if cooking with frozen sofrito). If using shredded chicken, first add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using additional veggies, add them with the onion. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the cilantro, and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the onion and additional veggies, if using, are tender and the chicken is warmed throughout.
- If using raw chicken, add it to the pan with the sofrito and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the chicken pieces are white on the outside, 5 to 7 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the veggies (if using) and cook for an additional 6 to 8 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Garnish with cho
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve as a main dish on its own or in a variety of other recipes: as a filling for Alcapurrias, on top of Arepas Colombianas, stuffed inside Carimañolas, as a filling for Pastelillos or Empanadas al Horno or stuffed inside Arepas Rellenas.