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Pollo Guisado

A Dominican stew of chicken, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and olives simmered in a tomato-based sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Pollo Guisado

Ingredients

Directions

Marinate

  1. In a bowl, mix the chicken, oregano, onion, celery, tomatoes, a pinch of salt and garlic.

  2. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Cook the stew

  1. Heat oil in a pot, add sugar, and let it brown.

  2. Add the chicken (reserve vegetables and herbs) and sauté until the meat is light brown.

  3. Add 2 tablespoons of water.

  4. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the meat is tender, adjusting water as needed.

  5. Add the remaining ingredients (except tomato paste), cover and simmer until they are tender, adjusting water as needed.

  6. Add tomato paste and half a cup of water, then simmer over low heat to produce a light sauce.

  7. Adjust salt to taste.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

491Calories
36 gProtein
19 gFat
48 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Green Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Plum1 medium (66g)30
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Olive1 large (4g)4
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Lemon + celerytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,467 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,377 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Pepper + celerytop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together16,012 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken
Provides the main protein, which becomes tender and firm-textured as it simmers slowly in liquid.
Sugar
Caramelizes in hot oil, adding browning color and a deeper, slightly sweet flavor to the base.
Onion
Softens and sweetens as it cooks, building the aromatic base of the stew.
Tomatoes
Release juice as they cook, adding moisture and acidity that help form the sauce.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens during gentle cooking.
Tomato sauce
Adds body and concentrated tomato flavor to the light sauce.

The step that matters

Browning the sugar in oil. Sugar caramelizes quickly in hot oil and can turn dark and bitter within seconds. Watch closely and stop once it is golden brown, because burnt sugar spoils the flavor of the whole stew.

Swap the plum

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, lemon, pepper, celery, onion, tomato, olive):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Avocadofits better
  3. Cherryfits better
  4. Plumthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, lemon, pepper, celery, onion, tomato, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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