CHICKEN AFRITADA
Tita Becky •
Oct 28, 2025
Chicken Afritada or “Afritadang Manok” is a staple dish in Filipino households. It’s a type of tomato chicken stew that’s rich, delicious and easy to cook. The “frita” in Afritada means “to fry” so pan-fry bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks with seasoning and aromatics until it slightly browns. Chicken is simmered in water, tomato sauce, and seasonings until fully cooked and tender. Then potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and green peas are added to complete the dish. I hope you try making it.
Ingredients (15)
Ingredients (15)
Instructions
Pre-heat a large wok or pan. Add cooking oil (1 Tbsp).
Add garlic (4 cloves) and onions (½ small). Saute over medium-high heat until fragrant.
Add bone-in chiclen (2–3 lb). Season with salt ( to taste), black pepper ( to taste) and fish sauce (2 Tbsp).
Saute for a minute until seasonings are well incorporated
Let it sit on the pan for 3-5 minutes on both sides and let the fat render and lightly brown the meat.
Then saute again for another 3 minutes or so. This method is called "satkutsa" in Filipino.
Add water (1 cup), tomato sauce (1 cup), fish sauce (2 Tbsp), and dried bay leaves (2 leaves). Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the flavors that might have been stuck.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes and until liquid has been reduced.
Add potatoes (1 large) and carrots (1 large). Stir, cover and cook for another 7 minutes.
Add bell peppers (1 small) and peas (⅓), and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
Stir. Taste if you need to adjust the seasoning. If not then its ready to serve.
Serve over steamed white rice and enjoy!
Notes
Notes
- I only use good quality “FISH SAUCE” to season the dish, but my mom uses chicken bouillon cube and sometimes soy sauce.
- DO NOT eat the dried bay leaves. Remove when serving. It’s only used for aroma and flavor in the dish.
- You can also use boneless chicken, but I prefer bone-in.
