Chicken Afritada Recipe

Chicken Afritada is a Filipino chicken stew braised in tomato sauce with potatoes, carrots, and green peas. I cook it when I want one pot that feeds the whole family with rice. I use bone-in pieces and let them simmer until the meat turns tender and the sauce thickens to a deep orange. You might also know this Chicken Afritada by its Tagalog name, afritadang manok. It is mild, a little tangy, and simple enough to put together on a busy day.

I think of afritada the same way I think of pork menudo. I make it with rice when we want something filling and familiar, and my little kids eat it without fuss, so I end up cooking it often. Chicken adobo has a stronger, saltier flavor, while afritada stays mild enough that everyone at home eats it. Sometimes I add hotdogs, but most days I leave them out and keep the green peas just for color. For a creamier pot, I make the coconut milk version instead.

You get tender chicken, soft vegetables, and a thick tomato sauce that coats everything in the pot. I give the simmer enough time because that is when the chicken softens and the sauce thickens. The sauce starts thin and tightens as it reduces, so I keep it on low heat instead of rushing it. Serve it hot over rice and dinner is done.

What is Chicken Afritada?

Chicken Afritada is a Filipino chicken stew cooked in tomato sauce. The chicken simmers with potatoes, carrots, and sometimes bell peppers, green peas, or hotdogs, depending on how each family makes it. The name comes from the Spanish word fritada, which means fried, because you sear the chicken before it goes into the sauce. The dish comes from that Spanish influence, but Filipino home cooks turned it into the mild, everyday stew many of us know today.

Afritada is milder than the other tomato based stews it gets compared to. Caldereta tastes richer, since some versions use liver spread, cheese, or olives, and cooks usually make it with beef or goat. Menudo and mechado use the same tomato base but take it in their own directions. Afritada stays simpler, so I cook it more like regular family food.

At home this is everyday cooking, but it is filling enough to serve when people come over. For a bigger gathering I cook a richer version with chicken liver. I also like that the ingredients are easy to find, so I can put it together without a special trip to the store.

What Makes This Chicken Afritada Work

I keep this Chicken Afritada simple because the dish does not need much. The chicken needs time to soften, and the sauce needs time to reduce.

• Sear the chicken first – A quick sear gives the chicken some color and makes the sauce taste fuller.
• Keep the pot covered – Low heat gives the chicken time to soften without drying out.
• Add the vegetables in the right order – Carrots and potatoes need more time than peas, so they go in first and the peas go in last.
• Use a pinch of sugar – Tomato sauce can taste sharp on its own, and a little sugar rounds it out.
• Reduce the sauce uncovered at the end – Letting it simmer uncovered near the end concentrates the tomato flavor and thickens the sauce so it coats every piece.

Ingredients

• Chicken – Bone-in pieces give the sauce more flavor and stay juicy through the simmer. Bone-in thighs and drumsticks are my first choice, since they hold up to the long cook and the bones enrich the sauce. Boneless breast or thighs also work, though breast can dry out, so shorten the cooking time if you use it.
• Tomato sauce – The base of the whole dish and what gives Chicken Afritada its orange color and mild tang. Filipino-style tomato sauce is a little sweeter than the plain kind and works best here, since it matches the gentle flavor most of us grew up with. Plain tomato sauce is fine too. No tomato sauce on hand? See the substitutions below.
• Bay leaves – Dried bay leaves give the sauce a light herb flavor as it cooks.
• Potato – Cubed potato makes the stew heartier and soaks up the sauce.
• Carrot – Sliced carrot is for color and a little natural sweetness.
• Hotdog – Optional. Sliced hotdogs make the pot look fuller and are a popular home addition. I use them sometimes, but the dish is just as good without, so leaving them out gives you a more traditional pot of just chicken, potato, and carrot.
• Green peas – Stirred in near the end for color and a little sweetness.
• Red onion – Chopped onion is the first layer of savory flavor in the saute.
• Garlic – Minced garlic for the aromatic base alongside the onion.
• Chicken broth – The simmering liquid that softens the chicken and becomes part of the sauce.
• Sugar – A small amount to balance the acidity of the tomato sauce.
• Cooking oil – For sauteing the aromatics and searing the chicken.
• Salt and ground black pepper – For seasoning to taste. Fish sauce or patis can stand in for the salt.

Making this Chicken Afritada is straightforward once the chicken and vegetables are ready. Take it one part at a time and the pot comes together without trouble.

1. Heat the oil in a cooking pot, then saute the onion and garlic until the onion softens.
2. Add the chicken and cook for 30 seconds, then turn each piece over and cook the other side for another 30 seconds.

A quick sear is all you need here. You are not cooking the chicken through, just giving it some color before the sauce goes in.

1. Pour in the tomato sauce and chicken broth, cover the pot, and let it boil.
2. Add the dried bay leaves, lower the heat, and cook covered for 30 minutes, adding more broth or water when it starts to dry out.

Leave the lid on for the full 30 minutes. The trapped steam keeps the heat steady so the chicken simmers through and softens.

1. Add the carrot, along with the hotdogs when you are using them, and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the potato, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, then stir in the green peas and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the potato after the carrot so both finish soft at the same time without overcooking.

1. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste, or use fish sauce in place of the salt.
2. Give everything a gentle stir, then serve hot with rice.

Taste the sauce before you turn off the heat. A pinch more sugar softens the acidity when the tomato sauce runs sharp.

What to Serve with Chicken Afritada

• Steamed white rice – This is the usual choice at home because the sauce tastes best over hot rice.
• Garlic fried rice – This works well when you are serving leftovers for breakfast or brunch.
• Fried egg – A sunny side egg on the side makes leftovers feel like a full meal.
• Banana ketchup – Some kids like a little on the side, since it matches the sweet tomato flavor.
• Ginisang sayote or pechay – A plate of sauteed vegetables when you want something lighter with the rice.
• Atchara – Pickled green papaya that cuts through the richness when the sauce is heavy.

Storage

This Chicken Afritada keeps well, so cook a little extra. The sauce tastes better the next day after it sits in the fridge, and it freezes nicely for another meal.

More Chicken Afritada Recipes

• Pineapple Chicken Afritada – Pineapple chunks make this version a little sweet.
• Cheesy Chicken Afritada – The cheese makes the sauce thicker, and kids usually like it.
• Chicken Afritada with Bell Pepper – Leans on red and green peppers and skips the hotdog for a simpler, more colorful pot.
• Afritadang Baboy – The pork version, cooked the same way. Try it if you want a heavier pot.
• Slow Cook Pork Afritada – A slower version that lets the pork turn tender in the slow cooker with less work at the stove.

• Tomato sauce – Tomato paste also works when you do not have tomato sauce. Use a smaller amount and dissolve it in the broth, since paste is more concentrated. Add a bit more broth or water to loosen the sauce.
• Chicken – You can use pork instead and cook it the same way. I have a separate pork afritada recipe with the amounts for that.
• Bone-in chicken – Boneless thighs or breast work. Shorten the simmer so the meat stays moist.
• Hotdog – Leave them out for a more traditional pot, or swap in Filipino-style sausage.
• Chicken broth – Water with a chicken bouillon cube does the job.
• Salt – Fish sauce or patis is a good savory replacement.

I like cooking Chicken Afritada on regular weeknights, especially when I need one pot of food that everyone at home can eat with rice. Watch the video above if you want to see how thick the sauce should look before serving. I hope you give this Chicken Afritada recipe a try. Cook a little extra if you can, because the leftovers are always worth keeping.