Chicken Afritada

This is another favorite Filipino dish.  My daughter Charisse likes chicken dishes and this is one of her favorites.  When done cooking, this dish is good a bit oily but after trimming all the chicken thighs fat, I am left with just the sauce, so I had to drizzle the finished product with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, chopped or 1.5 kgs chicken thighs, all fats trimmed

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 big onion, chopped

4-6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 red or green bell pepper, chopped

1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2-4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 tbsp corn oil for sauteing

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5 tbsp. fish sauce

salt

pepper

1/2 cup water

Cooking Instructions:

1.  In a big frying pan, put corn oil and brown chicken on both sides in medium to high heat.  Set aside chicken when done.

2.  In the same frying pan, saute garlic until golden brown, onion and half the bell pepper and tomatoes.

3.  Put browned chicken pieces back to the pan, add fish sauce and mix everything together.

4.  Add water and bring to boil then put the heat to low and cover the pan.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

5.  Stir or reverse the chicken pieces.

6.  Create space in the center of the pan to accommodate potatoes and carrots.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add water as needed, bring to boil, cover the pan, put heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

7.  Season again with salt and pepper to suit your taste, top with bell pepper, stir it in, drizzle with evoo.

8.  Service with steamed rice or eat the chicken with the potatoes and carrots as the side dishes.