Pollo con Tajadas (Pollo Chuco)

  • Total time - 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Active preparation - 45 minutes
  • Servings: 4
  • Country: Honduras
A mound of crispy fried chicken, fried plantain slices (tajadas), drizzled with red sauce and topped with cabbage salad (curtido).

Pollo con Tajadas is a complex, texture-rich dish. 'Pollo Chuco' means 'dirty chicken,' referring to the chicken being entirely covered in seasoned flour and dark sauce after frying.

Three components are key to this dish: 1. Tajadas (crispy fried slices of green plantain/banana), 2. Pollo (marinated and crispy fried chicken), and 3. Toppings (tomato sauce, curtido, and a white/pink sauce).

Ingredients

I. Pollo (Chicken)

  • 4 pcs Chicken pieces (thighs, wings, breasts)
  • 1 to taste (for marinade) Mustard, chicken bouillon (powder), vinegar
  • 1.5 cups Wheat flour
  • 1 to taste Spices: paprika, garlic/onion powder, salt, cumin

II. Tajadas

  • 3 pcs Green plantain (or green banana), peeled and sliced
  • 1 for frying Vegetable oil
  • 1 for sprinkling Salt

III. Sauces and Toppings

  • 1 as needed (thick Salsa Roja) Tomato Sauce (from tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, ketchup, bouillon)
  • 1 as needed Curtido (pickled cabbage relish)
  • 1 as needed Pink Sauce (mayonnaise + ketchup), optional

Instructions

Step 1: Preparing the Chicken

Wash and dry the chicken pieces (traditionally also with lemon juice/vinegar).

Rub the meat with mustard and cover with vinegar/water mixed with dissolved bouillon. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the mixture of flour and spices. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and thoroughly coat them in the seasoned flour.

Step 2: Frying the Chicken and Tajadas

Heat the oil in a large pot or deep skillet to 175 °C (350 °F).

Fry the chicken pieces in batches for 7-10 minutes until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature of 74 °C (165 °F)). Remove and drain on paper towels.

Slice the plantains into long, thin slices (tajadas). In the same oil, fry the slices until golden and crispy. Drain and salt immediately.

Step 3: Preparing the Sauces (Salsa Roja)

Prepare the thick tomato sauce (Salsa Roja): sauté onion and bell pepper, add diced tomatoes, bouillon, ketchup, and spices (cumin, oregano). Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. The sauce should be salty and flavorful.

Pink/White Sauce: simply mix mayonnaise and ketchup (optional) and/or use thick sour cream/crema (crema hondureña).

Step 4: Assembly

Layer the fried tajadas (plantain slices) on a serving plate.

Place the pieces of crispy pollo (chicken) on top of the tajadas.

Drizzle generously with hot Tomato Sauce (Salsa Roja).

Top with a mound of Curtido (cabbage salad), optionally pink sauce, and grated cheese.