Chicharrón de Pollo [Recipe + Video] Crispy Fried Chicken Bites (2024)

En Español Recipe ↆ Video ↆ

Why we ❤️ it

Chicken chicharrones can be found at any humble restaurant, countryside fonda, or Dominican beach food stand. It is the kind of food that one asks for when nothing on the menu seems trustworthy or one is not sure of the quality of the offer.

It is rare for Chicharrón de Pollo to disappoint with its crispy texture and the pleasing flavor of the mixture of spices in it.

Limes and chicharron de pollo.

Serving suggestions

Chicharrón de pollo is typically served with tostones, and with some lime wedges on the side. If you're doing the chicharrones in the air fryer, some air fryer tostones are the perfect side. If you want to try another side dish, yuca fries or fried batata are always welcome.

Some people serve it with ketchup, though I'd prefer some mayo ketchup sauce to dip instead.

Top tips

• Remember to observe proper hygiene precautions when dealing with raw chicken.
• You can add a tablespoon of onion powder to the flour mixture if you like.

About our recipe

Chicharrón de pollo was popularized by the Chinese diaspora in the Dominican Rep.

What makes the chicken chicharrones different from other fried chicken dishes is that:
1- The chicken is boned and cut into small pieces.
2 - It should be very crispy, especially the skin.

Beyond these points, each cook has their own way of seasoning it, as evident in the paragraphs at the end.

In our recipe, we will use chicken thighs. Why chicken thighs? Because they are the most flavorful part of the chicken, easier to remove the bones, have more skin, and are less dry. This is a personal preference, and I think it works better, but you can change it if you wish.

This recipe is my favorite combination, but of course, feel free to experiment. If you have another way of doing it, please share it with us in the comments.

Buen provecho!

Recipe

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Chicharrón de Pollo [Recipe + Video] Crispy Fried Chicken Bites

By: Clara Gonzalez

Learn how to make chicken chicharrones, the traditional chicharrón de pollo, a popular inexpensive Dominican restaurant staple.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 30gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 1298mgPotassium: 410mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 47IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

More chicken recipes

Chicken is a very popular meat in the DR, and we have a rich collection of chicken recipes for your to choose from. If you want to try another fried chicken recipe, the very popular pica pollo is worth making. Pollo guisado (braised chicken) is the most popular of our chicken dishes, followed by locrio de pollo (rice and chicken).

A "chin" of history

I never consult cookbooks to start developing our recipes. In general, I prefer to start with my own family traditions, or --when it comes to traditional Dominican recipes-- consult local home cooks about their way of doing things. The Dominican cookbooks have another important purpose for me (I collect them, and I have several very old ones): They help me to learn the history of a dish and see how it has evolved over time.

In the book Cocina Criolla by Amanda Ornes, 1947 edition, there's a recipe for Chicharrón de Pollo. In her recipe, there are important differences from the dish as I know it today. For example, Mrs. Ornes only seasons the chicken with salt, soy sauce, and rum, something I have not seen before (the rum part). I'm not sure if it's a personal touch by the author. She also instructs to coat the chicken bits with cracker crumbs, instead of flour. All this seemed very curious and interesting to me, and I wanted to mention it here.

In contrast, the recipe in the book Comidas Típicas Dominicanas from 1965, by Ligia de Bornia, is much more similar to mine, including serving with limes. This is closer to the Chicharrón de Pollo I know, and the only important difference between ours is that the author uses paprika instead of pepper.