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    Home » Chicken

    Chicken Afritada

    LAST UPDATED: January 12, 2021 | PUBLISHED: March 20, 2020 | BY: Kim | 2 Comments

    5 from 4 votes
    Jump to Recipe
    Chicken afritada pinterest pin

    This Chicken Afritada is a filipino inspired dish similar to a Chicken and Tomato Stew with big rich tomato flavours, colourful veg and juicy chicken pieces.  If you love bold saucy dishes this is one to try. 

    Chicken afritada stew in a bowl with lemon

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    Best Chicken To Use

    My  preference is to use skinless chicken thighs, however many traditional recipes use chicken with the bone in for extra flavour like drumsticks, or bone in chicken thigh.  If you’re like me, and don’t like meats with bones, skinless chicken thigh produces a full flavoured well rounded stew that is even more delicious the next day.

    chicken afritada ingredients
    Chicken Afritada Ingredients

    Is It Spicy?

    This dish is not spicy.  At all.  It’s a bit unusual for me not to have some kind of heat in a dish, but this one has so much flavour it doesn’t really need it.

    Plus it’s a good dish to make if you have to cater to people who love lots of flavour and those who don’t like spice all at one time.  It’ll satisfy both parties equally.

    TIP:  To add a little spice to this dish, I recommend ½ a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes stirred though the sauce before baking in the oven.  For even more heat, add some fresh diced chilli on top to serve.

    What Makes This Chicken Afritada Different?

    Traditionally this dish is cooked on the stovetop, but I prefer to bake it in the oven.  It means I don’t need to be standing over the stove watching it or stirring.  I can just do the prep and bang it in the oven to cook and come back when its done.

    One thing you can’t skip with this recipe, and particularly with it being oven baked, is to brown the chicken pieces beforehand, cooking them to a lovely golden colour before baking them in the oven.  This seals in all the juices and helps to create a delicious flavour.  Much better than if you just put the chicken into a casserole dish into the oven without precooking.  I don’t recommend that.

    Marinating and browning chicken afritada

    Can It Be Frozen?

    Yes!  This is an excellent dish to freeze, as are most tomato based dishes.  Make sure to portion it out into freezer containers with lids and it will freeze for 8 weeks.  Freeze it without rice.  Make that as needed.

    More Easy Chicken Recipes Made with Pantry Staples:

    • Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
    • Mango Chicken Bake
    • Thai Garlic Chicken with Chilli
    • Chicken Pineapple Curry

    What to Serve it With?

    It’s traditional to serve this dish with white rice.  However, I tend to serve with brown rice as that’s my preference.  Some other suggestions are:

    • Pear/Isralei Cous Cous
    • Sweet Potato or White Potato Mash
    • Cauliflower rice
    • Crusty bread/Garlic bread
    • Butter Beans (or butter bean mash)
    making chicken afritada tomato sauce

    Flavour Boosters

    • Olives: Green olives (seeds removed) for a Mediterranean twist
    • Pineapple:  fresh or tinned chunks  to add a tropical tang
    • Spices: Paprika for a Spanish twist
    • Fresh herbs:  coriander and mint for an Asian twist, basil
      or oregano for a Mediterranean twist

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Chicken Drumsticks:  Use only drumsticks, or a combination of drumsticks and skinless chicken thigh
    • Chicken Maryland:  these are the bone in variety.  Use a combination of these with chicken thighs
    • Chicken Tenderloins:  as tenderloins are small, use the same quantity of these as you would skinless chicken thigh.  They do tend to be a bit pricier though so my preference is always thigh.
    See all my chicken recipes here!

    I don’t recommend using chicken breast as its too big to cook evenly through, and usually ends up tough in some areas and undercooked in others

    chicken afritada with lemon

    Chicken Afritada also known as Chicken Tomato Stew is a dish that can be enjoyed year round.  Its not just a winter food.  Just because it’s a stew don’t think its only for cold weather.  I make this in summer regularly here in Australia because its high protein, light and healthy. 

    Its part of my meal prep routine where I make up 4 meals at the beginning of the week, add some brown rice and from there its grab and go, whether it be to take to work for lunch or as a quick and easy dinner midweek.

    Chicken afritada stew in a bowl with lemon

    Chicken Afritada

    Kim MorrisKimKim
    Chicken Afritada is a filipino inspired dish similar to a Chicken and TomatoStew with big rich tomato flavours, colourful veg and juicy chickenpieces. 
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Save Saved!
    Course Dinner
    Servings 3 people
    Calories 357 kcal
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins

    Ingredients
     

    • 500 grams Skinless chicken thigh
    • 1 cup Chicken Stock/Broth
    • 1 cup Tomato Puree/Tomato Passata
    • 3 tablespoons Crushed Garlic
    • 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
    • 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
    • 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
    • 1 small Brown onion (diced)
    • 1 large Tomato (diced)
    • 1 cup Sweet Potato - peeled and diced
    • 1 cup Red and Green Capsicum/Pepper - cut into chunks
    • ½ cup Frozen green peas
    • 1 Bay Leaf
    • 1 teaspoon Natural Granulated Sweetener that measures like sugar
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    Metric - US Customary
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F
    • Marinate 500 grams Skinless chicken thigh in 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce, 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice and HALF of the 3 tablespoons Crushed Garlic for 20 minutes. (reserve the remainder of garlic for the sauce)
    • Add the Chicken thighs and 1 tablespoon Olive oil into a non stick pan on high heat until it is golden and brown, but not cooked all the way through. Place into a large casserole dish.
    • Add 1 small Brown onion (diced), the remaining garlic, ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 large Tomato (diced), into the pan and cook on high for 2 minutes or until onion becomes translucent
    • Add in the 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce, 1 cup Tomato Puree/Tomato Passata, 1 cup Chicken Stock/Broth, 1 Bay Leaf and 1 teaspoon Natural Granulated Sweetener that measures like sugar to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil and then pour over the chicken into the casserole dish.
    • Add ½ cup Frozen green peas, 1 cup Red and Green Capsicum/Pepper and 1 cup Sweet Potato to casserole dish, stirring through
    • Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes.
    • Remove foil and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh lemon, and fresh diced parsley. Serve on its own, or with brown rice.

    Notes

    1. Freezing:  This dish will keep in the freezer upto for 8 weeks.  Store in portion sized servings and defrost overnight in the fridge or microwave.
    2. Different Type of Chicken:  Instead of skinless chicken thigh, you can use the same quantity of chicken drumsticks or marylands (same cooking time), or chicken tenderloins (halve the cooking time)
    3. Servings Suggestions:  Traditionally served with white rice, but I serve with brown rice.  Also cous cous, cauliflour rice, mash, or crusty bread would work.
    4. Heat:  Add chilli flakes in to the pot abd stir through before baking it it the oven.  For even more heat, add additional fresh diced chilli on top.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 38gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gFiber: 5gSugar: 4g

    Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.

    Wanna learn my secrets to maintaining a Sugar Free Lifestyle for the past 10 years?Get my FREE 5 Day email series where I'll show you how to master sensible snacking, how to create sugar free dessert truffles and how to make the perfect low calorie no sugar banana bread, plus more!

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    Comments

      5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Arianne says

      August 12, 2024 at 1:03 pm

      5 stars
      I'm a Filipino and I love this recipe. I just made it today for lunch 🥰

      Reply
    2. Irene says

      April 12, 2020 at 4:53 am

      5 stars
      I'll make mine in a crockpot. Thanks much for posting this recipe! ♥

      Reply

    Hey I'm Kim

    I'm passionate about creating recipes that are lower in sugar and calories without compromising on taste or flavor! My areas of expertise are Dinners Under 500 Calories and Sugar Free Desserts!

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