Pollo Frito a la Criolla

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This Pollo Frito a la Criolla tastes just like your Cuban grandmother’s! Full of comforting flavor this Cuban fried chicken recipe is made by marinating bone-in chicken with citrus juices, and plenty of onions and garlic. It’s a simple one-pot meal made with everyday ingredients. Make it meal by serving with steamed rice and flan for dessert!

3/4 view of Pollo Frito a la Criolla in a bowl and pot with stewed onions and rice.

I love Cuban food. Ropa Vieja, Cuban Picadillo, and Mojo Sheet Pan Chicken all taste like your favorites growing up or your must-have meal at your favorite Cuban or Latin restaurant! They are all comforting, simple to make and ideally served with rice!

Close up image of pollo frito a la criolla in a bowl with a fork.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Pollo Frito a la Criolla

Cut of oranges, limes, and spices on a table with an open cookbook near by.
  1. Chicken – Use thighs and drumsticks with the skin on! It will get super crispy and give so much flavor to this Cuban fried chicken recipe.
  2. Garlic – For extra delicious flavor the garlic is mashed using a mortar and pestle(or the back of a chef’s knife!) and then combined with the rest of the herbs and spices.
  3. Seasonings – Aromatic seasonings like ground cumin and dried oregano not only pair well with the citrus juices but it also gives this chicken it’s traditional Cuban flavor.
  4. Citrus juices – A combination of sour orange juice and lime juice. They are used to marinate the chicken for extra flavor and to tenderize it.
  5. White wine – After the chicken has been well browned it is slow cooked in white wine and the rest of the marinade. It gives even more flavor to the chicken and makes it that much more tender!

For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!

How to Make Pollo Frito a la Criolla

  • This recipe starts with marinating! A very essential part of any good chicken recipe is marinating the chicken.
  • The marination is a combination of lime juice, orange juice, salt, garlic and onions.
  • Marinate the chicken for 3 hours.
  • When it’s done marinating, heat up some neutral oil in a pan. And sear the chicken until the skin is crispy.
  • Remove it from the pan.
  • Add the marinating sauce to the pan and then add the chicken back to the pan.
  • Cook the chicken until tender.
  • Serve it with over rice.

Tips and Tricks

  • Mash the garlic. Don’t skip this step. It’s gives the chicken a deeper, more delicious flavor than you can get with simply mincing or slicing.
  • Marinate the chicken. Prep your chicken a few hours before you are ready to serve it, because it only gets better the longer you marinade it!
  • It freezes well. Make a double batch or save any leftovers in the freezer to enjoy later. After the chicken has cooled store in a freezer-safe container. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
Cuban cookbook on a table with a napkin.

Recipe FAQs

How to Make Ahead?

You can make this cuban fried chicken up to 3 days ahead of time. When you are ready, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on low-medium heat until heated through.

Where is Pollo Frito a la Criolla from?

Pollo Frito a la Criolla is a dish from Cuba with Spanish influences! It is made with mojo(a mix of oranges, limes, garlic, onions, and spices) which is the base for a lot of Cuban dishes.

Close up image of pollo frito a la criolla or braised chicken and stewed onions in a bowl with a fork.

More Latin Recipes

If you tried this Pollo Frito a la Criolla Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

5 from 5 votes

Pollo Frito a la Criolla Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Marinating Time: 3 hours
Total: 4 hours
Servings: 6
This Pollo Frito a la Criolla tastes just like your Cuban grandmother's! Full of comforting flavor this Cuban fried chicken recipe is made by marinating bone-in chicken with citrus juices, and plenty of onions and garlic. It's a simple one-pot meal made with everyday ingredients. Make it meal by serving with steamed rice and flan for dessert!

Equipment

  • 1 (6 quart) cast iron pot or heavy-bottomed pot
  • 1 mortar and pestle
  • 1 chef knife

Ingredients 

Chicken:

  • 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more if needed
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

For Serving:

  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions 

  • Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Using a mortar and pestle (or you can use the back of a chef’s knife), mash the garlic. In a measuring cup or medium bowl, add the garlic cloves, dried oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and orange and lime juice; stir until combined.
  • Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces, top with the sliced onions, and refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  • Remove the chicken and onions from the marinade, drain and pat dry. Reserve the marinade for later use.
  • Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, brown the chicken on both sides until the fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd the pot. Replenish the oil as needed. Set aside the browned chicken pieces.
  • Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the oil and saute the reserved onions in the pot until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved marinade and wine and bring to a simmer. Return the browned chicken pieces to the pot and lower the heat.
  • Cook, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with wedges of lime and rice.

Notes

Tips and Tricks
  • Mash the garlic. Don’t skip this step. It’s gives the chicken a deeper, more delicious flavor than you can get with simply mincing or slicing.
  • Marinate the chicken. Prep your chicken a few hours before you are ready to serve it, because it only gets better the longer you marinade it!
  • It freezes well. Make a double batch or save any leftovers in the freezer to enjoy later. After the chicken has cooled store in a freezer-safe container. Reheat in the microwave until warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 485mg | Potassium: 713mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Cuban
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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27 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    It was a cherry-on-top when you said that cooked rice is included in this recipe. My wife and I wanted to try something new, and we never really tasted Cuban before. It’s time to change that by finding the best Cuban restaurant near our area.

  2. 5 stars
    I made this last week and I actually modified it to go in my slow cooker. I did that because of the ease of letting it cook while I go about my day, also because I used all chicken breasts since I don’t like bone in chicken, but chicken breasts can be dry as a bone… so the slow cooker infused the juices into the chicken breasts. My family loved it and we were eating it all week. I browned the chicken and followed the recipe exactly as you said, but then when it’s time to “cook it partially covered for 25-30 min” – I just popped it all in the slow cooker for about 2.5 hours on high. It was deeeeelicious!! I love how you used very little cumin and you can barely taste it. It really is the perfect amount. Thank you for your beautiful cuban recipe!! I’m from LA and do not like Versailles or any other cuban restaurant I’ve tried so I get it! Maybe you can try a picadillo please? Or a salad with avocados and hearts of palm I had once a real good cuban restaurant in Denver – called Cuba Cuba. If you’re ever there, you NEED to go!! Lots of love!

    1. 5 stars
      Love these modifications! Amazing. Tomorrow I’m actually posting a recipe for Picadillo so stay tuned! xo

  3. My family is Nicaraguan, but I grew up in Miami and know exactly what you mean about Cuban food feeling like home. Gimme that lechon and masitas de puerco.

    p.s. I’ve spent the last few years living in Tampa Bay. Cuban food in Miami is def where it’s at — with the exception of the bread and the Cuban sandwich. I like Tampa’s better!

  4. Soooo, let me first start by saying I should never cook when I am hungry, tired, or, worse yet – both. I just made this with 3 KG of chicken (I’m in Canada, we are metric), not 3 lbs. Once I finish eating my #chickenfordaaaaayyyyyys, I will be re-trying for sure :p!

  5. my boyfriend is out of town till sunday 🙁 and i think i am going to spend the weekend cooking…DEF including this recipe. i worked in a cuban restaurant in college aaaand i think about ropa vieja at LEAST 3x a week!

    1. Doooo it! Also, the primer/moisturizer just arrived from Glossier and the packaging is ridiculously cute BUT I wish it smelled like something. Undecided if I love it or not. :/ But the stickers are dope.

      1. ahh yeah, i know what you mean…it’s nice to smell clean and fresh after going through all the trouble of washing your damn face in the first place! but yeah, my phone looks like a teenage girl’s now, stickered UP…(embarrassed emoji face)

      2. Hello I am contemplating between making pollo frito a la criolla or pollo a la brasa. How different is the taste and which one is your favorite ? 🙂 thank you