Pollo Chuco (Pollo con Tajadas)

5 from 1 vote

Pollo Chuco (also known as Pollo con Tajadas) is a beloved Honduran classic that's absolutely irresistible! The fusion of flavors and textures in this popular street food is unique and absolutely delicious!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Honduran

Servings:

Calories: 1638kcal

Author: Catherine Arena

Ingredients

Chicken

3 pounds chicken rinsed under cool water
2 tablespoon chicken bouillon
2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon garlic puree
2 cups flour
vegetable or corn oil for frying the chicken

Cabbage

½ head cabbage
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar can also use white or wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Chismol

1 green bell pepper rinsed and chopped
½ onion chopped
3 Roma tomatoes rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro rinsed and chopped
1-2 limes squeezed
salt and pepper to taste

Pickled Onions

1 red onion thinly sliced
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon salt

Pink Sauce

¼ cup mayonaisse
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1½ tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoon water or milk to thin the sauce

Plantains

3 green plantains skin peeled and plantains diagonally thinly sliced
salt sprinkle on top after fried (optional)

Instructions

Chicken

Add the chicken to a large bowl and top with the mustard, chicken bouillon, cumin, and the garlic puree.
Mix the ingredients with your hands or use a spoon to combine. Marinate for 30 minutes, a few hours or overnight.

Pickling Onions

Slice red onions thinly and set in a mason jar or other container, set aside.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the vinegar, water and salt. Heat the vinegar mix until a soft boil forms.
Pour the hot liquid over the red onions and allow to sit for 20 minutes to soften the onions.

To Make the Chismol

Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and then add the lime juice, salt and pepper and stir. With a spoon, mix everything together and set aside until ready to use.

Shredded Cabbage

Add the shredded cabbage to a medium-sized bowl, followed by the vinegar, salt, and pepper and stir well. Set aside until ready to use.

Pink Sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Mix well. Thin the sauce with the water or milk. Set aside until ready to use.

Frying Chicken

Add the flour to a large bowl and dredge ONLY the pieces of chicken you are about to fry.
Note: Do Not dredge all the pieces of chicken all at once in the flour. For the best crispy and golden pieces, dredge only the pieces you are about to fry.
Add about 3 inches of oil to a deep pot and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Check to see if the oil is hot by dropping a sprinkle of flour, if it sizzles, the oil is ready. Carefully add a few chicken pieces to the oil. Be careful not to splatter oil.
Note: Do not overcrowd the pot with chicken pieces or your chicken will soak too much oil and be oily. Fry chicken in batches for the best results.
Fry the chicken for about 8-10 minutes on one side.
Flip the pieces over and cook for another few minutes on the other side.
When chicken pieces start to float towards the top, that is a good sign, they're almost fully done.
Note: If you have a meat thermometer, remove a piece from the oil and check that the chicken has reached 165 degrees.
Remove the pieces of chicken and drain the excess oil on a plate lined with paper towels.
TIP: While you are cooking the other pieces of chicken, keep the cooked pieces in a 200-degree oven.

Cooking the Green Plantains

Fry the plantains over medium-high heat, in the same pot used to cook the chicken. Cook until golden brown and then drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Dish Assembly

Add a layer of plantains on a plate to serve. Top with some of the shredded cabbage, then a few pieces of chicken (2-3 pieces of chicken). Top the chicken with the chismol, then pickled onions and lastly, drizzle the pink sauce all over the dish.
The dish is ready to serve. Repeat the same process for the other chicken pieces. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Notes:

Traditionally this dish is layered with fried green bananas, shredded cabbage, fried chicken, a seasoned tomato sauce, chismol, pickled onions and topped with a pink sauce. Please note, I did not use the tomato sauce in this version.

Substitution for the Green Bananas

Due to the fact that not everyone can find green bananas in their local supermarket as these are not the same as the slightly green bananas you find in the produce section, I have substituted green plantains instead.

Chicken

Traditionally this dish is made using a combination of drumsticks, thighs, wings and breasts. Use what you prefer or a combination of your favorite sections.

Nutrition