Pollo con Papas: A Classic Mexican Recipe
There’s a famous Mexican song that goes, “Pollito con papas, pollito con papas,” sung by El Super Show De Los Vaskez. On my last trip to Mexico City, as we passed near the cathedral, I stumbled upon a street vendor selling pollo con papas with that song playing on repeat. It brought back memories of these popular Mexican skillet chicken tights or guisado de Pollo con papas.
This one-pan Pollo con Papas dinner is not only delicious but also ready in just 20 minutes!
I make pollo con papas frequently because it’s convenient and versatile. You can use chicken legs, breasts, or your favorite cuts, but I personally love chicken thighs for their juicy flavor. The secret lies in the fantastic, easy-to-make marinade.
I’ll guide you through this recipe step by step with photos. The recipe card below has detailed ingredients and explanations.
I like to prepare the marinade in a Mexican molcajete, a volcanic rock mortar and pestle commonly used in Mexico for salsas and marinades. However, you can also use a blender for convenience. For best results, marinate the chicken overnight, but even a quick marinade yields delicious results.
I prefer using skinless chicken thighs to keep it lower in fat for my family.
Since the marinade already contains cooking oil, simply heat the pan, and once hot, add the chicken. It will cook in its own juices and added fat, taking about 5 minutes per side on medium-high heat.
For the potatoes, peel and cube them, then soak in water for 5 minutes to reduce starch. soaking them is optional, but is ideal if you want to get rid of a few carbs. This step is especially helpful if you’re watching your glucose levels.
Rinse the potatoes, then boil for around 10 minutes or until tender. Drain the water and sauté the potatoes in the same pan where you cooked the chicken, using the leftover marinade.
Serve the chicken alongside the sautéed potatoes, and enjoy a fantastic dinner ready in less than 20 minutes!
Other fantastic Chicken Mexican Recipes
- Homemade Pollo Loco
- Chicken Pastel Azteca
- Pollo con Crema (Creamy sauce Chicken)
- Pollo con Rajas recipe
Just for fun, you can now start cooking to the rhythm of this funny, popular Pollito con Papas song!
Pollo con Papas Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Blender or molcajete
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tights
- 3 pieces lime juice of 3 limes
- 3 tablespoons cilantro
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 pounds potato
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the chicken in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Coat the chicken with the marinade and let it sit for at least five minutes.
- Meanwhile, start peeling the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
- Place the potato cubes in a container filled with water and let them sit for five minutes, then rinse. This is optional, is to get rid of the starch
- Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until they are tender but firm.
- Heat a pan and add the marinated chicken, cooking for 5 to 7 minutes on each side over medium-high heat.
- Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside. In the same pan, use the remaining marinade to sauté the potatoes.
- Serve the cpollo con papas together, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Qué rico! Pollo con Papas is incredibly easy to make and bursting with flavor! Make this for dinner—you won’t regret it!