I’ll tell you, but you may come up missing.

This is one of those dishes. You know the type. So very basic, so unpretentious and so incredibly delicious. This is what my mom would call ‘chicken in a hurry’.

Linz, the hubby, loves it and always asks me how I make it, what goes in it. I like to tell him it’s my Secret Panamanian Chicken. I finally had to admit to him that it was so easy, it sounded more impressive if I shrouded it in mystery. There isn’t a single fancy ingredient here. You have chicken, onions and peppers, a bit of tomato. That’s it.

This one incorporates sofrito, which is then just simmered into sublime heavenliness with some beer or wine. I will share with you, but make sure you lock your doors while reading, my special boogy men may come get you.

Mi Pollo Guisado (My Stewed Chicken)
8 chicken thighs, rinsed
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic, crushed (2 cloves)
1 tsp Jugo Maggi (or Worcestershire)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cps Sofrito
1 tsp habanero paste
1.5 cps beer or white wine
3 tbsp ketchup

Season the thighs with the salt, garlic, Jugo Maggi and pepper. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan and add the oil. Brown the chicken on both sides, remove from the heat and set aside.

Discard the excess oil and add the sofrito, scraping the bits that are stuck at the bottom of the pan.

Add the habanero paste, beer and ketchup. Stir it all in, making sure it is evenly incorporated before putting the chicken pieces back in. Allow it to simmer tightly covered for 35 minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to cook down for another 10 minutes. 

Serve with rice or patacones.

Variation: Last time I made this, I didn’t have beer around. I added 1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar after putting the sofrito in and used 1 cp wine.