Chicken Afritada (Filipino Chicken Stew)

There are a few staple dishes in the Filipino kitchen. There's Adobo, Tinola, Beef Caldereta, Pancit and other popular dishes that frequent many Filipino meals. Another one of those dishes is Chicken Afritada. Its a similar tomato sauce-based stew like Caldereta. Hubby happens to really like both stews, but I have yet to make Afritada for him. This is another one of those dishes that I never had a chance to get the recipe for from my Lola. But mom also made kick-a$$ Afritada. Whenever she had time to cook. Mom was usually the workaholic, and so dad did most of the cooking when I was growing up. However, a quick call to mom this evening gave me a few tips on how to make it. With those tips, I was able to find this recipe, from Panlasang Pinoy. I realize that there are different ways to make Afritada when I found various versions of this dish. But this dish came out really well and hubby thought it was quite tasty. I'm so glad to have finally found a recipe for Afritada. I won't have to use the powdered version anymore.

4 Tbsp. oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 lbs. chicken pieces (wings and things)

4 hot dogs, cut into large pieces (optional)

1 large potato, cubed

1 large carrot, cut into large pieces

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup tomato sauce

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. sugar

salt & pepper to taste

1) Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Pan fry chicken until lightly browned (about 3 minutes on each side). Remove from heat and set aside.

2) Saute garlic and onions in the same oil until fragrant. Add hot dogs (if using) and return chicken. Cook for about a minute. Pour in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Add bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

3) Add potatoes and carrots and continue to simmer for another 7 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Add bell pepper, peas, sugar, and salt & pepper to taste. Continue to simmer for another 3-5 minutes, or until the remaining vegetables have softened. Serve with white rice.