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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!
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!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Pollo Frito a la Criolla
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
More Latin Recipes
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Pollo Frito a la Criolla Recipe
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
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have you tried Versailles in LA? I aware I could live off of their black beans and rice.
I don’t love it! 🙁 But strangely enough, the Versailles in Miami is pretty on point.
Thank you! This recipe looks great, I can’t wait to try it. If you live in LA county, try Tropicana Bakery & Cuban Cafe in Downey. Their pollo frito is amazing, (I want it so much I’m glad I came across this on Pinterest to make at home) it’s served with platano frito, onions, and black beans and rice of course. Downey has a large Cuban community and has quite a few Cuban spots. Porto’s is also delicious, with locations Downey, Glendale, Burbank, and soon Buena Park.
Ooooo…I didn’t know that. That’s amazing. I’m gonna try Tropicana Bakery. Thank you!
Haha I live in Miami, so I know all too well the abundance of Cuban food, but having never eaten it growing up either, this cookbook looks like a must-buy once I move away!
I grew up in Tampa and I also miss cuban food and mullet.
You have me intrigued about cuban food now for sure, this chicken dish looks amazing and mojo sounds like something I could definitely get in to. I’ve pinned this book and it will be on my next amazon shopping list. Thanks.
Oh, how I miss Cuban food. I lived in Key West just a 5 minute walk from Siboney a Cuban restaurant Cubans everywhere told me they dreamed about going to when I told them I lived in Key West. This recipe looks wonderful. I have everything but the limes and as soon as I get them you can bet I’m going to face plant in this dish. Thanks for posting and the tasty memories.
My husband & I ate there when we were in Key West! It’s the best Cuban food I’ve ever had. Lots of good food on that little island, actually. I think I’d have a hard time staying bikini ready if I lived there.
This dish sounds amazing. The flavors sound bright and spicy. I love cumin against citrus. This dish would be great alongside some yuca or black beans too!
Ohh! I made a Mediterranean Shrimp & Calamari braised dish a few weeks ago that also recommended sour oranges (used lime and orange like you!) and it was amazing. I’m sure this is wonderful! Can’t wait to try it!
This dish sounds fantastic!
I’m from the northeast, but I also love Cuban foods for exactly the same reasons!! I love dark meat chicken, Cuban sandwiches and mojo!! Nothing makes me happier than the delicious stewed meats with bright flavors and a side of maduros( fried sweet plantains). Yum!!