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Picante De Pollo

A Bolivian spicy chicken stew with cayenne pepper, onions, tomatoes, peas, and broth.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Cumin and oregano match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Picante De Pollo

Timeat least an hour and a half

Ingredients

Directions

Make the stew

  1. In a large casserole put the chicken pieces with all the other ingredients, then pour the broth or water until covering the ingredients completely.

  2. Set to cook over high heat until it boils, and later over low heat for at least an hour and a half or until the chicken is soft, stirring occasionally.

  3. If while cooking the broth diminished much, add a little more broth or water so that when serving there is enough liquid.

Serve

  1. In a deep plate serve one piece of spicy chicken with one boiled potato, cooked aside, chuńo phuti and uncooked sauce on top.

  2. Finally, sprinkle the chopped parsley on top of the spicy chicken.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

450Calories
39 gProtein
19 gFat
33 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 14 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Pea1/2 cup (72g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Cayenne1 tsp (1.8g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

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. Cumin + oreganotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together983 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,767 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  3. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

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

  4. Parsley + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,184 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Tomato + cumintop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,272 recipes

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

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 as it simmers slowly in the liquid.
White onion
Breaks down during long simmering, adding body and sweetness to the sauce.
Tomato
Adds acidity and body to the sauce as it cooks down.
Fresh locoto or chili pepper
Supplies the main heat and pungent flavour of the spicy stew.
Green peas
Add sweetness and soft texture to the stew.

The step that matters

Keep enough liquid during the long simmer. Cooking for well over an hour concentrates the broth and can scorch the bottom of the pot, while the chicken needs liquid to become tender. Topping up with broth or water keeps the stew moist and prevents sticking.

Swap the peas

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, pepper, onion, tomato, parsley, cumin, oregano):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Beansfits better
  3. Lentilsfits better
  4. Peasthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, pepper, onion, tomato, parsley, cumin, oregano. 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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