Dominican chicharron de pollo - es
Pica pollo is a fried chicken dish from the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Fried Chicken (Chicharrones de Pollo)
Any piece of chicken can be used, but wings or drumsticks are generally preferred. The meat is pre-cooked in an aromatic broth flavored with red onion, garlic cloves, lemon juice, parsley and oregano. It is then rolled in a mixture of flour and spices, such as paprika and cumin. The chicken pieces are then fried in a very hot oil bath and eaten as is or with ketchup or tostones.
It is a typical dish of the street food, appreciated by teenagers and workers. Pica pollo is particularly widespread in the Dominican Republic. This fast food can be found everywhere, and many street vendors constantly offer it. It is a simple, inexpensive and satisfying snack that Dominicans crave. These businesses are usually run by representatives of the Chinese community, and there are hundreds of them.
The shopfronts sometimes simply display the name of pica pollo.
Chicharrones de Pollo | Dominican Fried Chicken
Despite its huge success as a street food, pica pollo is still widely prepared at home and on weekends with the family. Pica pollo could have been introduced in the previous century by Chinese immigrants. It has since adapted to Dominican taste and is considered a Creole dish. If all the pieces of the chicken can be used to prepare a delicious pica pollo, the parts on the bone are the most suitable, such as the drumsticks or the wings.
The meat must be poached for a quarter of an hour in a broth flavored with herbs, garlic and onion. The chicken pieces are then floured, spiced and fried until golden brown.
Pica pollo is eaten as is, but can also be enhanced with a little ketchup. It can be accompanied by plantain French fries called tostones or potato French fries. This dish is usually served with a cold drink such as beer or Coca-Cola. The broth can also be prepared ahead of time and the chicken pieces marinated in it overnight before being cooked. In this way, the different flavors of herbs and spices are diffused to the heart of the meat.
Once the pieces are cooked, dried and floured, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few hours before frying. It is the difference in temperature between the icy meat and the hot oil that produces a beautiful, crispy skin. In addition to lemon juice, orange juice or stock cube can be used to flavor the chicken meat during the poaching stage. Soy sauce is sometimes added to the broth.
Although flour is generally the preferred choice for breading chicken, it is sometimes replaced by oatmeal or corn flakes.
Chicharrón de Pollo
Recipes for fried chicken can be found all over the world, from Europe to the Americas to Asia. The technique is generally the same, but the seasoning differs. The most famous versions are chicken and waffles from the south of the United States , hot chicken from Nashville, Barbeton chicken from Ohio or chicken Maryland. Pica pollo is lighter than the famous American versions because this recipe does not include the use of buttermilk.
Pica pollo is also similar to another Dominican dish, chicharron de pollo. In some cases, the chicken pieces are not previously cooked in a broth. However, this step ensures that the chicken is cooked through and also adds a lot of flavor to the meat. Esther and Morgan are the two foodies behind Renards Gourmets.