Move over Coronel, the authentic Dominican fried chicken is here. Our flavorful Pica pollo is a burst of flavor in our mouth, and the favorite fried chicken dish for Dominicans. See why it is so popular with us, and learn how to make it with our foolproof recipe with handy video.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Dec 27, 2004
Why we ❤️ it
Pica Pollo is the authentic Dominican fried chicken. Flavorful, crispy, and tender, it is the quintessential Dominican fast food.
In a country where fast-food chains now abound, Pica Pollo remains the undisputed king of convenience food. Dominicans seem to stay loyal to our traditional cuisine.
Dominican pica pollo
Pica pollo is a fast food dish normally sold in restaurants specializing in it. You will find pica pollo in every small town, city, and barrio. It's the meal of choice for a night of partying.
The original pica pollo, like chofan and chopsui, goes to go back to restaurants started by Chinese immigrants who settled in the country in the previous century.
Nowadays pica pollo has been "aplatanado" (Dominicanized), and it is considered almost as "criollo" as mangú.
Learn more
Pica pollo (Dominican fried chicken).
Serving suggestions
As you can see in the photo, my preferred way to serve Pica pollo is with Tostones and ketchup, mostly because that's how it's typically served in Pica pollo restaurants everywhere.
If you want to try something new, Yuca frita and Batata frita are also solid choices.
Top tips
- How long to fry the chicken 5 to 7 minutes, or until it's golden brown. The restaurant ones are a darker color, but they have to because they fry raw chicken. I find this method produces juicer chicken, we just need the crust to form.
- Why boil the chicken first: Because unless you have a deep-frier at home, the chicken may stay uncooked in the center. I've found this method works great at home, and produce flavorful, tender, crispy chicken that is safe to eat.
- Is it ok to marinate the chicken prior to boiling it? Yes, you certainly can, but it will not retain the flavor when you boil it using this recipe. It would just add extra time and effort to the preparation.
About our recipe
Since pica pollo is not normally made at home, there is no single recipe for this, and the businesses that sell it do guard their own recipes with zeal. I've found that this is the recipe I likes the most, and it has always been popular in our blog.
You'll notice that I pre-cook the chicken prior to frying, the reason is two-fold: Few people have vats of frying oil and deep fryers at home, boiling it beforehand helps us make sure that the chicken is properly and safely cooked. The second advantage, and perhaps our favorite: the chicken gains extra flavor and juiciness.
This is not something that I invented, it's a well-known method amongst local home cooks, and they got it right. If you have another way of making it, tell us in the comments, we would love to hear your version.
Video
Recipe
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Pica Pollo [Video+Recipe] Dominican Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion, cut into quarters
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 tablespoon salt, divided
- 2 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground), divided
- 3 clove garlic, lightly crushed
- 12 pieces chicken, drumsticks, or thighs, or whatever you like
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2½ cups oil for frying
Instructions
1. Boiling
Combine onion, lime juice, parsley, half the salt, half the oregano, crushed garlic, and chicken in a pot. Pour enough water to cover the chicken.Boil the chicken over medium heat.When the chicken is cooked through but firm (about 15 mins after it breaks the boil) remove from the heat. Remove the chicken from the liquid, and save the broth for another dish.
2. Seasoning
- Combine the flour with the remaining salt and oregano, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk to mix. Coat the chicken pieces with the flour mix, shake off excess.
3. Frying
- In a small saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat (350 ºF [150 ºC]). Fry the chicken without piling up until they turn golden brown and turn to cook evenly on all sides (about 5-7 minutes in total). Place on a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
4. Serving
Check serving suggestions above the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More chicken recipes
If you're looking for more fried chicken dishes, then you definitely need to try the popular Chicharrones de pollo, our crispy chicken bites.
Other popular chicken recipes you may want to try are Pollo con wasakaka (roasted chicken with garlic sauce), Pinchos de pollo (chicken skewers), Pechuga a la plancha (grilled chicken breast), and Pollo guisado, the very popular Dominican chicken.
Don't miss the rest of our chicken recipes.
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