Chicken Ropa Vieja Recipe Easy and Quick

How about having dinner ready in just a little time with a dish with unique Caribbean flavors? This tasty, tender chicken ropa vieja recipe is a creative take on the famous dish from gorgeous Cuba, lighter and easier to make.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Video • Preparation

Cuban chicken ropa vieja.

Why I ❤️ it

The traditional Cuban ropa vieja is typically made with beef, like skirt steak or chunk, but for this dish we'll use pre-cooked supermarket rotisserie chicken, one of my favorite shortcuts in the kitchen.

I typically buy a whole chicken when I am short of time, serve everything but the chicken breasts, and reuse those in other dishes. For my small family, it's enough for 3 meals, so pencil this in for this week.

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Utensils and tools

• Large skillet or large pot

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless rotisserie chicken breasts or chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small onion, yellow or white, cut into thin strips
• 3 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon of  oregano
• 2  teaspoons of salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper, or to taste
• ½ cup of pitted green olives (optional)
• ¼ cup of chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree (paste)
• Fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish

Video

Preparation

Before you start, make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Shred chicken

Place chicken in a bowl, and using two forks, shred the chicken into strips. Set it aside.

Step 2: Sautée

Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring until it releases its aroma (about a minute).

Stir in red peppers and green peppers. Cook, stirring, until they soften some, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3: Simmer

Add the chicken, tomato, bay leaf, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and olives. Cook, stirring until everything has heated through.

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the chicken stock, cover, and let it simmer until the tomato is very soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in the tomato paste, stir to dissolve it, and let the liquid boil until it reduces to a thick sauce.

Step 4: Serve

Remove from the stove, discard the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste, garnish with cilantro or parsley, and serve.

Serving suggestions

White rice is my preferred side dish. For a great Cuban meal, moros y cristianos (rice and black beans) are a favorite side dish, and fried sweet plantains are a great little dish that's always appreciated. I typically do not serve salad with this vegetable-rich dish as I don't find it necessary.

Nutritional information

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1084mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1339IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg

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