Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)

 When I was in Arizona visiting my father a few years ago, I asked a hispanic believer if she could give me an authentic recipe.  This is the one she gave me.  It's really good!  I used a bit more paprika than she called for because I saw another site's recipe used more of it, and I liked the way it tasted. This site also added vegetables to the sauce so I tried it, and it really makes a difference!  Everyone liked how tender and flavorful the chicken was.  

POLLO GUISAD0 (Mexican Braised Chicken)

1.  Prepare chicken: Rinse 2 lbs of chicken pieces (legs, thighs, wings) in warm water.  Squeeze the juice of a lemon and rub it all over the chicken.

2.  Prepare vegetables:

(1)  Chop up 1 red onion (I used yellow)

(2)  Chop up 1/2 cup of celery

(3)  Chop up 2 green bell peppers

(4)  Mince 2 t of garlic

3.  Cook chicken:

(1)  Put 2-3 T of coconut oil into a large skillet and add 1 t of sugar and cook until it browns.  

(2)  Add the chicken and brown both sides.

(3)  Add the vegetables  and sauté while the chicken continues cooking.

(4)  Put the chicken in a 9 x 13 casserole pan.

  4.  Prepare sauce:
(1)  Put into a bowl 1 can of tomato sauce and then add the seasonings to it and stir:  2 t salt, 2 t black pepper, 1 -2 T paprika, 1/8 t oregano, 2 t  Costco No Salt Seasoning, 2 t gluten free tamari, 2 t balsamic vinegar, 1 t chicken bouillon, and 1/2 of a bunch of chopped cilantro.  Taste and make any adjustments.

   (2)  Pour the seasoned tomato sauce over the chicken. You can cook this in a large electric skillet, a dutch oven on the stove, or you can bake it in the oven at 350.   Cook until the chicken is tender about 30-45 minutes or until tender.  Taste the sauce and make any adjustments. 
  
Serve with rice.

Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Gluten Free Mexican Quinoa Casserole  (From an Internet search)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
Rachel Ray's Recipe for the Best Fish Tacos   (From Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Fabulous Vegetarian Gluten Free Fajitas   (From an Internet search)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

Beans & Rice
The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)
Texas Pinto Beans & Rice  (From my Texas airport cookbook)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in Califiornia)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)
Mexican Salmon & Mango Salad  (Modification of a Betty Crocker recipe)