Inspired by my abuelito’s Fricasé de pollo and the Neelys Get Yo Man Chicken

In most Cuban households, food is serious business; and my family was no exception. Pride was taken in every meal. My grandparents would spend hours cooking huge cazuelas of food for family, extended family and whatever friends happened to be stopping by (and there were always friends stopping by.) Some of my fondest memories were watching them together in the kitchen, one of the few times they weren’t bickering with one another. There was pure joy on their faces when they would serve everyone. My grandmother making sure that everyone had seconds and sometimes thirds before she herself would sit down and enjoy dinner alongside us. Everyone would eat (often excessively) and everyone would be happy.

I came across the Neely Get Yo Man Chicken recipe on a Valentines Day where I was looking for a new recipe to make for my SO. When I made it for him (yes, I cook meat for my SO) the smells and aromas reminded me so much of my grandparent’s fricasé de pollo (Cuban chicken stew) that I knew I had to modify the recipe and make it vegetarian. The recipe below is a mixture of my grandparent’s recipe and the Neely’s, with my own twist.

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 bag of Quorn chik’n tenders OR 1 package of Tofurky lightly seasoned chick’n
1/2 Medium sweet onion finely diced
2 garlic cloves finely diced
1 red bell pepper and 1/2 of a green bell pepper cored, seeded, de-veined and diced
1/3 C of pimento stuffed green olives
1 large potato peeled and cut into large chunks
1^1/8 C Vegetable broth
1/2 C White Wine
2 oz. fresh lemon juice (~ 1 lemon’s worth)
1 – 14.5 oz. can of crushed fire roasted tomatoes
2 TB Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 TB dried rosemary
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
Pinch of black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
Garlic Powder

Optional vegetables:
1 small zucchini squash sliced
1 small yellow squash sliced

Directions:
Heat 1 TB of oil in large (≥ 6 qt.) pot. Add entire bag of chik’n tenders, 1/8 C of vegetable broth, and a few shakes of garlic powder. Cook on medium heat until tenders have absorbed the liquid and begin to turn golden brown. Once browned remove from pot and set aside. Heat 1 TB of oil in pot. Add onion, garlic, and peppers (this is a sofrito) and saute for approx. 4 min or until the onions are translucent. Add the squash, and/or olives (if using,) vegetable broth, wine, lemon juice, bay leaf and salt. Raise temperature to high heat and allow the liquid to reduce by about half; approx 3-5 min. Add the potatoes, crushed tomatoes, remainder of the herbs and spices and the golden brown chik’n tenders. Reduce to low – medium heat, cover and cook for approx. 30-40 min stirring occasionally and making sure that the potatoes stay under the liquid so that they tenderize. Once the sauce has thickened and the potatoes are tender, it’s done. Remove bay leaf and serve over white or yellow rice with a side of sweet plantains. Buen provecho!

Nutrition facts per serving (4 servings)
Calories: 334
Fat: 9 g
Potassium: 446 mg
Carbs: 45 g
Fiber: 9 g
Sugars: 12 g
Protein: 15 g
Vitamin A: 44%
Vitamin C: 191%
Calcium: 15%
Iron: 13%