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Pollo al Colmao

Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yields Serves 6 to 8
Pollo al Colmao
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Dear SOS: El Colmao in Koreatown has the most delicious chicken stew with olives. Could you please get their recipe for El Colmao Chicken? Thank you!

Susan Mooney

Burbank

Dear Susan: Cuban institution El Colmao credits this recipe to “old grandpa Eduardo Sousa.” The specialty features tender, slow-cooked chicken stewed in a Creole-style tomato sauce dotted with green olives and peas and spiced with chile powder.

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1

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high heat. Add the sliced onions to the oil and saute, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is aromatic and the onions are just beginning to color, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

3

Sprinkle the chicken evenly on both sides with three-fourths teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper and place, skin side up and in one layer, over the onions in the Dutch oven. Add one-fourth cup white wine, cover and bake until the chicken is cooked halfway through, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat.

4

Remove the par-baked chicken (with the onion-garlic mixture and any liquid) to a separate baking dish or bowl.

5

To the Dutch oven, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and chopped onion and sweat the onions over medium-low heat until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

6

Stir in the chopped tomato, tomato sauce, tomato paste and sweet peas, along with the remaining one-half cup white wine, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, one-fourth teaspoon pepper, chile powder and olives and bring to a boil over high heat.

7

Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add back the chicken, onion-garlic mixture and cooking liquid to the sauce. Cover and continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Adapted from El Colmao. The restaurant serves the chicken with rice and black beans.