Classic Cuban Recipes: Pollo a la Plancha

Pollo a la Plancha is a staple. This recipe will walk you through making this very simple yet very delicious classic cuban recipe.

This dish represents so much of what Cuban cooking is about.  It is the quintessential Cuban restaurant dish, “pollo a la plancha” is always seasoned similarly then cooked on a “plancha” or flat top and topped with onions.

What is Pollo a la Plancha? It is is thinly sliced chicken breast grilled with onions until everything is a beautiful golden color. The humble chicken breast is gently seasoned with sazon, then finished with lime juice. It is the ultimate simple and weekday meal equipped to feed any family. The name is a description of how it is cooked.

We were fortunate enough to receive a spicy box from Badia, that had so many amazing spices. The box had some classic spices, along with some new adventurous spices that we were dying to try. For this recipe we decided to use their Sazon Completa.

It comes with everything you need to get your chicken seasoned correctly for a dish like this. It has the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano all mixed together and balanced. One sprinkled on the chicken, it will give it just the right flavor to stand against the onions and lime juice.

Our Tips for Making Pollo a La Plancha

• The biggest tip, is keep it simple. This dish doesn’t need much. Add the seasoning, chop your onions and grill it to perfection.
• We like buying organic chicken breasts and slicing them ourselves. You can cut them however you prefer, very thin or on the thicker side. You can also pound them out if you want paper thin slices. Keep in mind: The thinner they are the quicker they will cook but you don’t want to over cook them or they can dry out. 
• You can marinate the chicken for a few hours prior to cooking, but the truth is it is not necessary. You can just season it with the simple seasonings and olive oil and cook it right away.
• You can use a large griddle if you have it, but a simple non stick or cast iron pan will work perfectly and will keep the chicken even more moist.  

We love to serve Pollo a la Plancha the way we serve most of our classic Cuban dishes – smothered in onions always accompanied with The Perfect White Rice, Black Beans and an Avocado Salad, ok fine maybe some Tostones

Classic Cuban Recipes: Pollo a la Plancha

Recipe by Abuelas Cuban CounterCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts, very thinly sliced

• 2 to 5 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

• 1 ½ teaspoons of Badia sazon completa

• Juice of 1 lime 

• Salt and pepper

• Garnish: lime wedges and freshly chopped parsley

Directions

• Place the chicken on a plate. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season all over with sazon complete, salt and pepper. Mix it thoroughly to be sure every inch of the chicken is perfectly seasoned. 
• Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat. If your pan is small, work in batches. Sear the chicken a few pieces at a time so it can brown. Cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side.  
• Add another tablespoon of oil with every batch you cook or as needed.  You don’t want the chicken to stick and you want it to have a golden exterior. 
• Once you have seared every chicken, keep the heat at medium and add the onions. Place the chicken off to the side in the pan.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and another tablespoon or two of oil to keep everything loose. 
• Continue to cook on medium low, until the onions soften and the chicken is cooked through. It will be about 6-8 minutes.
• Don’t let the onions or chicken dry out. As soon as the onions start softening, deglaze the pan with lime juice and 2 tablespoons of water. 
• Serve with freshly chopped herbs and more lime.