Puerto Rican Chicharrones de Pollo Recipe
Chicharrónes refer to fried pork skins, while "chicharrón" means cracklings, a term that reflects the sound made when meat is fried. These terms are often used interchangeably. In northern Puerto Rico, just outside the capital city of San Juan, the town of Bayamón is known as El Pueblo del Chicharrón or "Chicharron City," where locals claim to make the best chicharrón on the island. Chicharrónes de Pollo is a Puerto Rican-style fried chicken dish, where pieces of chicken are marinated in a blend of spices, citrus juice, and seasonings before being fried.
Ingredients
Marinade
- Olive oil – 1 tsp
- Vinegar – ½ tsp
- Orange or lime juice – 2 tsp
- Oregano – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 ½ tsp
- Black peppercorns – 2
- Garlic cloves – 4
Chicken
- Chicken, bone-in skin on – 3 lbs.
- All-purpose flour – 2 cups
- Sazon, packet – 1
- Pepper – ¼ tsp
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a mortar and pestle or food processor.
- Trim off any excess chicken skin, but do not entirely remove the skin.
- Cut the chicken into smaller pieces, this may require cutting through bone.
- Place the chicken in a bowl or dish and pour the marinade over the chicken, massage it evenly into the chicken.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to prepare chicken, heat enough oil to cover chicken in a large pot to 400 degrees.
- While the oil heats combine flour, Sazon and pepper in a large Ziploc bag, shake to combine ingredients.
- In batches, place chicken in the flour bag and shake until well coated. Shake off the excess flour.
- When the oil reaches 400 degrees, fry chicken pieces in batches for 3 minutes.
- Remove from the oil and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Lower the heat of the oil to 300 degrees and place all the chicken back in the pot, cover and fry for 10 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the oil and drain on paper towels.
- Raise the heat again to 400 degrees, fry the chicken in batches, uncovered until dark golden brown, without burning.
- Remove chicken from the oil and drain on paper towel lined plate.
Nutrition
Calories: 696kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 59gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 213mgSodium: 744mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2g
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