Pollo A La Plancha | Puerto Rican Style
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Pechuga de Pollo a la plancha, or grilled chicken breast, is one of my favorite dishes to make and serve. This dish is made a variety of ways in Latin households depending on the country/region you are from. My family is Puerto Rican, so pollo a la plancha is typically served alongside arroz blanco y habichuelas guisadas (Puerto Rican rice and beans).
Perfect Crispy Shredded Chicken
I have modified our family recipe a bit with 2 simple steps. First, when I am making pollo a la plancha I pressure cook the chicken so that I can shred it easily. Once it is shredded, I sear it on a skillet to get crispy shredded chicken. Second, I make a garlic mojo or chimichurri sauce (click for recipe) to add on top for an extra punch of flavor. I then serve the pollo a la plancha alongside Puerto Rican rice and beans, just like my parents. Adding the garlic mojo atop of this dish really sets it off!
How To Make Pollo A La Plancha
This recipe is actually pretty simple once you know the steps. You can modify the measurements to suit your needs, these aren’t strict measurements.
You will want to start with chicken breast. Then add the chicken breast to the pressure cooker along with 1 cup of chicken stock or water. I typically add dried oregano leaves, 2 garlic cloves, and a few slices of onions to pressure cook with the chicken. Pressure cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes. It should shred easily with a fork when it is ready. Shred your chicken then season it to taste. It is now ready to sear on the skillet and enjoy!
Essential Tools
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- Beast Blender – or any blender you have
- Cast Iron Skillet
Check out my Puerto rican pinchos de pollo recipe here!
Pollo a la Plancha
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breast
- 1 white onion
- 2 limes
- 1 shallot
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp Sofrito (click for the recipe) or 1 Tbsp Loisa Sofrito
- 1/4 tsp Loisa Organic Adobo Powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 cup water or chicken stock
- 5 sprigs fresh cilantro
Directions
- Add your chicken breast to a ziploc bag with: 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, 2 Tbsp of sofrito, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp of kosher salt, 1/4 tsp Loisa Adobo Powder, 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper. Allow to marinate overnight or for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- While the chicken is marinating, prep your garlic mojo or chimichurri sauce. To your blender add 2 garlic cloves (peeled), 1 Tbsp olive oil, juice from 1/2 a lime, then set aside.
- Slice your onion and shallot into medium sized rings and set aside.
- Once your chicken is done marinating, add it to your pressure cooker with 1 cup or water or chicken stock. Add in: 1 bay leaf and 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves, and 2 peeled garlic cloves, 5 slices of onion rings. Pressure cook on HIGH for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release.
- While the chicken is cooking begin slowly cooking your shallots and onions in 1 Tbsp of olive on Medium Low heat. Cooking them slowly will allow them to caramelize without burning. Once the onions and shallots are browned, remove the from pan.
- Drain and shred your chicken BUT save the liquid to use for the garlic mojo sauce!
- Add 1 cup of the liquid from the chicken as well as the onions and garlic to your blender and blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Garlic mojo is ready.
- Turn the heat of the skillet up to Medium or Medium High. Add a little more olive oil if the pain seems too dry. Grab a handful of shredded chicken and add this directly to the hot pain. You want to hear sizzling. Allow to sear for 2 minutes on each side.
- Top with onions/shallots and add the garlic mojo sauce to taste.
- Roughly chop or shred by hand your fresh cilantro to garnish the dish, slice the lime into wedges for serving. Buen Provecho!
FAQs
what if i don’t have an instant pot or pressure cooker?
That’s okay! You can boil your chicken in a large pot on the stove and still get the same results. If you have a little more time on your hands, you can use a dutch oven and slow cook them in the oven or on the stove. This will still give you shredded chicken (techinically pollo guisado) but still tasty.
What if i don’t have sofrito?
No problem! Sofrito is actually just a mixture of raw onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, and water pureed into a sauce. It makes cooking easier because you can avoid chopping each of them individually. If you don’t have it, and can’t find any at you local grocery store (typically Goya brand Sofrito is available in the Hispanic food section) or don’t want to run to the store – just add chopped onion, garlic, bell pepper, and cilantro to your chicken for marinating. Even if you don’t have bell pepper, you will still be fine!
Do i have to shred my chicken breast?
No you do not! Traditionally, pollo a la plancha is served as a whole chicken breast. If you want to serve it this way, just skip the Instant Pot steps. Cook your onions and shallots first to flavor your pan. Then turn the heat up and sear your chicken breasts.