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    Home » Dietary Preferences » Peanut Free » Chicharrones de Pollo (Puerto Rican Fried Chicken)

    Chicharrones de Pollo (Puerto Rican Fried Chicken)

    ★★★★★ from 1 reviews
    May 15, 2022 / by Salima Benkhalti / 1 Comment(updated Jan 4, 2023)

    157 shares
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Puerto Rican fried chicken on a plate
    a plate of Puerto Rican fried chicken

    Chicharrones de Pollo is perfectly crispy Puerto Rican fried chicken made with a simple but flavorful marinade and traditional island spices.

    This post may contain affiliate links; this means if you purchase an item linked, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Click here to learn more about my disclosure policy.

    If you've tried many Puerto Rican recipes, you know that the chicken dishes (like this arroz con pollo and asopao de pollo) are super flavorful.

    Chicharrones de pollo take similar seasonings and a classic method of frying chicken for ultra moist and juicy bite sized pieces of Puerto Rican fried chicken.

    The name chicharrones comes from the traditional dish made from fried pork belly or pork rinds. Obviously we are frying chicken in this recipe, hence the name chicharrones de pollo!

    a bowl of marinade

    Ingredients

    If you do a lot of Puerto Rican cooking and are familiar with the spice profiles, you may have all the ingredients you'll need for this recipe.

    Here's what you'll need...

    For the Marinade:

    • olive oil
    • garlic, minced
    • lime juice
    • white vinegar
    • sazon seasoning (see note for substitute)
    • adobo seasoning (see note for substitute)

    For the Chicken:

    • chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces (about 3 lbs)
    • all-purpose flour
    • sazon seasoning (see note for substitute)
    • adobo seasoning (see note for substitute)
    • vegetable oil, for frying

    See recipe card for exact quantities.

    Instructions

    a bowl of marinated chicken

    Marinate the chicken. In a glass container combine the marinade ingredients and mix well before adding in the chicken pieces and mixing to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

    a bowl of seasoned flour

    Prepare the dry ingredients. Once the chicken has marinated for at least 2 hours, combine flour with sazon and adobo seasoning in a large bowl or ziplock bag and mix to combine.

    fried chicken coming out of a frying pan

    Fry the chicken. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Add a few pieces of chicken to the bowl/bag and toss to coat each piece with flour. Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken in batches, for about 6 minutes or once they reach an internal temperature of 165.

    a hand grabbing a piece of Puerto Rican chicken

    Serve the chicharrones de pollo. Garnish with lime juice.

    Hint: using a glass bowl for the marinade is important as metal can react poorly with the vinegar in the mixture.

    Chicharrones Seasoning

    You could easily substitute the seasonings in the marinade and flour mixture for whatever you have on hand.

    That said, the seasonings are what truly makes this Puerto Rican fried chicken unique, so I recommend sourcing as many of the spices are you can.

    Here are some recommendations for substituting the spice blends:

    • buy sazon seasoning or use ½ tsp each of ground annatto seeds, garlic, oregano, cumin, and coriander
    • buy adobo seasoning or use ½ tsp each of garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper
    lime squeezing over Puerto Rican fried chicken

    Let's Talk Chicken

    As with many Puerto Rican recipes, the methods of preparation vary greatly between households. I've heard many cooks swear by making this recipe with bone-in chicken, while others insist on using boneless cuts of meat.

    While frying the chicken with the bone in can help to guarantee a super moist, juicy piece of fried chicken, it isn't the only way to achieve this.

    I find that using boneless chicken thighs results in just as juicy, and equally easy to eat chicharrones de pollo.

    Equipment

    Make sure to use a glass bowl for plastic bag/bowl for the marinade. This step is important as metal can react poorly with the vinegar in the marinade.

    a plate of Puerto Rican fried chicken

    Leftover Fried Chicken?

    Like most fried chicken recipes, Chicharrones de Pollo is best enjoyed fresh out of the fryer.

    If for some strange reason you have a large amount of leftovers, you can reheat them in the oven or microwave and enjoy the next day.

    Buen provecho!

    the name Salima
    Print

    Chicharrones de Pollo (Puerto Rican Fried Chicken)

    a plate of Puerto Rican fried chicken
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    Chicharrones de Pollo is perfectly crispy Puerto Rican fried chicken made with a simple but flavorful marinade and traditional island spices. 

    • Author: Salima Benkhalti
    • Prep Time: 2 hours
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
    • Category: Entree, Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish
    • Method: Fried
    • Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin

    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the Marinade:

    • 1 tsp olive oil
    • 8 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 tbsp lime juice
    • 2 tbsp white vinegar
    • 2 tsp sazon seasoning (see note for substitute)
    • 2 tsp adobo seasoning (see note for substitute)

    For the Chicken:

    • 5-6 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces (about 3 lbs)
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp sazon seasoning (see note for substitute)
    • 1 tsp adobo seasoning (see note for substitute)
    • 5 cups vegetable oil, for frying

    Instructions

    1. Marinate the chicken. In a glass container combine the marinade ingredients and mix well before adding in the chicken pieces and mixing to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
    2. Prepare the dry ingredients. Once the chicken has marinated for at least 2 hours, combine flour with sazon and adobo seasoning in a large bowl or ziplock bag and mix to combine.
    3. Fry the chicken. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Add a few pieces of chicken to the bowl/bag and toss to coat each piece with flour. Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken in batches, for about 6 minutes or once they reach an internal temperature of 165.
    4. Serve the chicharrones de pollo. Garnish with lime juice. Buen provecho!

    Notes

    Seasoning Substitutes:

    • buy sazon seasoning or use ½ tsp each of ground annatto seeds, garlic, oregano, cumin, and coriander
    • buy adobo seasoning or use ½ tsp each of garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper

    Keywords: chicharrones de pollo, Puerto Rican fried chicken

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @salimaskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #salimaskitchen

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      Comments

    1. Celio Quinones Jr

      May 20, 2022 at 6:43 am

      One of my all-time favorites

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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