Caldereta with chicken simmered to perfect tenderness in a spicy tomato sauce. Overflowing with potatoes, bell peppers, and green olives, this classic Filipino stew is hearty, tasty, and perfect for family dinners and special occasions.
Chicken caldereta is a Filipino spicy tomato-based chicken stew cherished by many Filipinos. This robustly zesty recipe is typically served on holidays and special occasions but believe us, there is no need to wait for a special event to revel in consuming this classic Filipino dish.
Deriving from the land of riotous fiestas, feisty flamenco dancers, dynamic bullfights, and cutting-edge art galleries, calderata, which comes from the word "caldera" meaning cauldron, is another example of the many Spanish influences in Filipino cuisine.
The dish itself is a dish that represents Filipino food worldwide and is commonly served in parties and social-gatherings as an appetizer to accompany beer or hard alcoholic beverages. Though, over the years the dish has developed into a customary dinner fixture, finding a use for more accessible meats such as beef, pork, lamb, and you guessed it, chicken.
This particular chicken caldereta is a wonderful rich and zesty Filipino dish that is filling and rustic at the same time. It uses the breast of the chicken to deliver a very specific umami flavour. Admittedly, it’s a little bit reminiscent of a chicken cacciatore (an Italian hunter-style chicken braised recipe in a tomato-based sauce with onions, garlic, and white wine), but the flavor is much more robust. There are many versions of a chicken caldereta. Often, it is one of those dishes where every household puts their own spin on it. Plus, it’s most likely at its best when served by a Filipino grandmother, as typically in Italian cuisine.
Ingredients:
1 pouch of Mama Sita’s Caldereta Mix
6 cups chicken breasts, cut into cutlet pieces
2 tbs. of canola oil
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of diced russet and desiree red potatoes
1/2 cup of diced carrots
1 red bell pepper cut into 1 1/2" triangles
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1/2 cup of manzanilla pitted green olives
Directions:
In a sauce pan, pan fry chicken cutlet pieces in cooking oil until chicken is cooked throughout. Add water and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until tender. Add water if necessary.
When the chicken is tender, add potatoes and carrots. Simmer until cooked.
Add Mama Sita’s Caldereta Mix. Stir and let it boil.
Add red bell pepper, green peas and green olives.
Cook for 3 minutes. Serve hot.
Watch to see how easy it is to make Chicken Caldereta!
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