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This pollo guisado recipe calls for simmering chicken, potatoes, and carrots in a spiced tomato broth for a flavor-packed stew you’ll want year-round.

Why It Works
Salting the chicken in advance seasons it all the way to the bone and dries the skin, allowing the skin to brown instead of steam.
First searing the chicken skin-side down crisps and browns the skin and renders fat, which is used to cook the tomatoes and onions, building a deeper flavor in the sauce base.

For the Chicken:

1 whole chicken (about 5 pounds), cut into 10 pieces (See note)
5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
For the Sauce:

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
5 medium cloves garlic
5 dried árbol chiles (5 g), stems removed
3 whole cloves
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 quart (960 ml) homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
For the Guisado:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 small white onion (6 ounces; 170 g), cut into 1/4 inch dice
3 plum or Roma tomatoes (about 12 ounces; 340 g), cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste; for table salt, use half as much by volume
2 russet potatoes (about 20 ounces; 580 g total), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 carrots (about 10 ounces; 280 g total), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
For Serving:

Crusty bread
Fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly all over with 5 teaspoons kosher salt and transfer to a large plate. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile, in a blender, blend tomato paste, garlic, chiles, cloves, chicken bouillon powder, black peppercorns, paprika, coriander, cumin, marjoram, thyme, and chicken stock until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Two blender jars one with whole spices chiles and ingredients and one blended into a smooth sauce

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add half of the chicken pieces, skin-side down, in a single layer, and cook undisturbed until skin is light golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken. Do not clean pot.

Chicken pieces being sauted in a pot with a plate of cooked chicken nearby

Add onion, tomatoes, and salt to now-empty pot. Stir to coat in rendered chicken fat. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Two pots of diced tomatoes and onions being sauted one pot with raw ingredients the other as they started cooking

Add chicken carcass ( the remaining backbone and any bones after breaking down the chicken), if using, and seared chicken pieces to pot. Add blended sauce to pot and, using tongs, flip meat and submerge to ensure it is thoroughly coated. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and reduce to low. Simmer until white meat registers 160°F (71 °C) with an instant-read thermometer and the dark meat registers 175 to 185°F (70 to 85 °C), about 30 minutes. Use tongs to remove chicken pieces as they reach temperature and transfer to a clean plate or bowl.

Preparation sequence of pollo guisado with chicken pieces and sauce in a pot

Bring pot with remaining sauce to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high to maintain a simmer and add potatoes and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fork-tender and sauce has a velvety consistency, 12 to 18 minutes. Return chicken pieces to pot and simmer until chicken is coated and heated through. Season with salt to taste. Serve with crusty bread and cilantro.