#5 Pollo Recipe

Prepare ingredients

Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1/2-inch cubes). Peel and finely dice the yellow onion. Core, seed and dice the red bell pepper to roughly the same size as the chicken. Peel and mince the garlic. Slice the pitted green olives thinly if not pre-sliced.

Season chicken

Place the diced chicken in a medium bowl. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, ground black pepper and kosher salt. Toss to coat the chicken evenly with the spices.

Sauté aromatics

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the diced red bell pepper and continue to cook 3–4 minutes more until the pepper begins to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant, stirring to avoid burning.

Brown the chicken

Push the vegetables to the side of the skillet (or remove briefly) and add the seasoned diced chicken in a single layer. Let the chicken sear without moving for 1–2 minutes to get a light brown color, then stir and continue to cook until mostly cooked through, about 3–4 minutes more. The chicken should be opaque on the outside but may still have a slight pink center before simmering.

Build the sauce

Stir the tomato paste into the skillet so it coats the chicken and vegetables, cooking 1 minute to remove the raw tomato taste. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a low simmer.

Simmer with olives

Add the sliced green olives to the skillet and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced slightly, about 6–8 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Finish

Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the chopped fresh cilantro and lime juice to brighten the flavors. Allow the mixture to rest 2 minutes before serving so the juices redistribute.

Serving suggestion

Serve the pollo as a filling for rice bowls, tacos, tortillas, arepas, or with a side of steamed rice and a simple salad. Spoon both chicken and pan sauce when serving.