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You are here: Home » Recipes » Chicken

Chicken Veracruz Style

Published: Apr 29, 2015 · Updated: Oct 24, 2019 by Mely Martínez

JUMP TO RECIPE

This chicken stew is a dish that I’ve been making for years without following a recipe, just the way I grew up cooking it. Just add a little bit of this, a pinch of that, and taste to check if it needs something else. It is so versatile and at the same time so forgiving because you can add other vegetables, and even though you don’t have all the seasonings, the stew will come out wonderful.

Pollo A la Veracruzana

Chicken Veracruz Style | Mexican Recipes

I call it Veracruz Style because the basic ingredients are similar to those of the Red Snapper Veracruz Style Stew, but using chicken instead of fish. But many know this dish as “Chicken Stew” (estofado de pollo) or “chicken in tomato sauce”, and it is also similar to other recipes from Europe like chicken fricassee and chicken marengo. Veracruz is a state whose gastronomy is influenced by Spain, the many other European and African foreigners that arrived in Colonial times, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Pollo A la Veracruzana Ingredients

This complex mix rendered one of the richest cuisines in the country, where the local cooks combine all that historical background into their dishes, creating mouth-watering meals like this chicken stew.

How to make Chicken Veracruz Style

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

Chicken Veracruz Style | Quick and easy

DIRECTIONS:


Chicken Veracruz Style | instructions step by step

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. (Please check the ingredients list below)
  • Add the chicken to frying pan to sear for about 7-8 minutes per side. Once the chicken is browned remove from pan and keep warm.
  • Add onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and carrots and cook for 5 minutes before adding the potatoes.
Pollo A la Veracruzana | I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe
  • Cook the vegetables 2 more minutes after adding the potatoes.
  • Place chopped tomatoes and cup of water into a blender and process until smooth. Pour tomato mixture to the frying pan using a colander or sieve.
  • Add the chicken; bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Add bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, olives, raisins, and capers. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Simmer until chicken and vegetables are cooked.  The cooking time will vary depending on the size and type of chicken pieces.
Chicken Veracruz Style | easy delicious family recipe


Serve with rice and pickled jalapeño peppers.

¡Buen provecho!
Mely,

Do you think stews are just for cold winter days?

More recipes:

Shredded Chicken Recipes
Creamy Chipotle Chicken Breast
Pibil Style Chicken / Pollo Pibil

📖 Recipe

Chicken Veracruz Style

Mely Martínez
This chicken stew is a dish that I’ve been making for years without following a recipe, just the way I grew up cooking it. Just add a little bit of this, a pinch of that, and taste to check if it needs something else. Chicken Veracruz Style a delicious and elegant dish that’s perfect for a nice dinner.
4.85 from 13 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Chicken
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6
Calories 312 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or breasts (about 2 pounds)
  • ½ medium white onion finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 carrots diced (about 1 ¼ cup when diced)
  • 1 large potato diced (about 1 ¼ cup when diced)
  • 1 lb. tomato chopped (about 3 cups when chopped)*
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 bay leave
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme or small branch if fresh
  • ½ teaspoon marjoram optional
  • ⅓ cup pimiento-stuffed olives sliced
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • 2 teaspoons capers

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Add the chicken to frying pan to sear for about 7-8 minutes per side. Once the chicken is browned remove from pan and keep warm.
  • Add onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and carrots and cook for 5 minutes before adding the potatoes.
  • Chicken Stew Veracruz Style 4. Cook the vegetables 2 more minutes after adding the potatoes.
  • Place chopped tomatoes and cup of water into a blender and process until smooth. Pour tomato mixture into the frying pan using a colander or sieve.
  • Add the chicken; bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Add bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, olives, raisins, and capers. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Simmer until chicken and vegetables are cooked (about 10-12 minutes). The cooking time will vary depending on the size and type of chicken pieces.

Serve with rice and pickled jalapeño peppers.

    Notes

    • In the winter time, I make this stew using canned tomatoes instead of fresh. Or, if I’m using fresh tomatoes and they don’t have much juice, I simply add a few teaspoons of tomato paste to the sauce.
    • I know there are many ingredients in this stew, but all of them add up to the richness of its flavor. Some people eliminate the carrots and potatoes, while others add the vegetables available by region or season of the year. Sometimes I even add a little bit of wine and sweet peas too. It is simply a matter of taste.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 312kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 26gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 223mgPotassium: 851mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 4056IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Charlie H.

      February 24, 2023 at 10:33 am

      5 stars
      Hello! I made this wonderful dish yesterday and it was a big hit with everyone here.
      Absolutely delicious in every regard! Thank you for the great recipe.

      Reply
    2. Mikey

      May 05, 2021 at 7:09 am

      5 stars
      Delicious recipe. It was a slight departure from what I normally do, but on Cinco de Mayo, Mexico called my name. These one-pot dishes are the best kind, this one proving the point one time again. This meal is one more example where the process is a cinch yet people may be none the wiser.

      What I liked was the unusual range of flavours within each bite. It could be sweet one bite, a little spicy the next (I added a jalapeno - and no, I did not discard the seeds). You just never knew, plus it was a balanced meal. Mexican is one of my favourite cuisines - and Chicken Veracruz is an example why.

      Highly likely I will revisit it, and not need to wait until the holiday to do so.

      Reply
    3. Lyra

      August 04, 2020 at 5:49 pm

      5 stars
      Wonderful and although it looks like a lot, its amazingly fast and easy!

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        August 05, 2020 at 3:29 pm

        Hi Lyra,
        Thank you for trying the Chicken Veracruz Style recipe. I'm so glad you like it.

        Reply
    4. Margarita Gordon

      November 16, 2018 at 8:09 pm

      You often say you sometimes use canned tomatoes in the winter...but you do not give the quantity of canned to.atoed to use in place of fresh.
      I.e. chicken veracruz.

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        November 18, 2018 at 6:18 pm

        Hello Margarita,
        For this recipe you will need 1 can of tomatoes (24 oz) size.

        Reply
    5. Catherine Rowland

      November 12, 2018 at 10:59 am

      Will it make a big difference if i leave out the raisins?

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        November 12, 2018 at 12:37 pm

        Hello Catherine,
        No, the raisins give it the sweet taste and with all the ingredients mixed up creates a whole rich flavor. But, if you don't want to use it, the dish will still be great.

        Reply
    6. April

      October 05, 2018 at 12:15 pm

      I was a little unsure about this receipt but I tried it anyways, it was so delicious. Why would I have doubts when everything I cook from your receipts are delicious your receipts never fail!! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        October 07, 2018 at 4:08 pm

        Hello April,
        Thank you for trying the recipe. This is one of my husband favorite recipes. Well, almost any meat cooked Veracruz Style, likes it. I hope you can see the other options here in the blog cooked that way.

        Reply
    7. Orlando

      February 10, 2018 at 8:55 am

      I made this pollo veracruzano this morning. I used canned tomates because they are not in season now. OMG! This was simply divine. The sauce is so aromatic that I scooped it up and literarily licked the plate. I will definitely try your other recipes. Thanks.

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        February 10, 2018 at 9:00 am

        Hello Orlando,

        It is a nice sauce, this is one of my husband favorite dishes!

        Reply
    8. Monica Van Rickley

      January 09, 2018 at 6:02 am

      4 stars
      This was easy to prepare and it was delicious. My husband couldn’t stop himself and went for thirds. I added red pepper and a chipotle bullion cube, quite nice. Thank you!

      Reply
    9. Betty Boopy20

      November 21, 2016 at 4:13 pm

      Can i add a bit of cumin?

      Reply
    10. Anonymous

      August 10, 2016 at 7:28 pm

      Que rico, lo voy a cocinar hoy! Mi familia siempre lo hacia pero hace mucho que no lo comemos! We do know it as "estofado", thanks!!!

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        August 10, 2016 at 7:33 pm

        Yes, we also call it estofado! 😉

        Reply
    11. Nammi

      April 30, 2015 at 2:45 am

      it looks very tempting ...

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Mely Martinez, a former Mexican school teacher, home cook, and food blogger. I moved to the United States about ten years ago, after living in Mexico my whole life. Now I love to share home-style recipes for authentic Mexican food.
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