Try these celebrity recipes for comforting chicken dishes

Chicken dinners nourish, comfort and can be elevated for celebratory menus. These recipes—from the kitchens of Andy Garcia and Mathew McConaughey—are infused with nostalgia and have a fuss-free approach. Garcia believes food evokes memories, while McConaughey’s kitchen brings the family together. 

Try McConaughey’s Brazilian chicken stroganoff for a weekday dinner, and prepare Garcia’s slightly elaborate Fricase de Pollo for the weekend. 

Matthew and Camila Alves McConaughey’s Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients
3 tablespoons avocado oil
6 cloves of garlic, smashed or grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium-sized diced white onion
1 tablespoon achiote annatto powder (orange-red condiment for food colouring). It can be substituted with a spice mix of equal parts turmeric and red chilli powder.
1 medium-sized quartered fresh tomato
3 bone-in split chicken breasts with skin
One-fourth red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4 cups of water (divided in half)
One-fourth cup of chopped cilantro
1-2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of media crema (table cream); no liquid chill the entire can in the refrigerator, cream will rise to the top
1 cup of canned corn
One-third cup of sliced pitted green olives

For serving
Shoestring potato sticks
Cooked rice

Method

In a large soup pot over medium heat, add avocado oil, smashed garlic and salt. Stir until garlic is fragrant.

Add diced onions and cook until translucent. Then, add quartered tomatoes and cook until soft and mushy.

Push ingredients to the side and add annatto powder to the middle of the pot. Let it cook briefly, then mix with other ingredients to form a paste.

Place chicken skin side down in the pot to brown. After a few minutes, push ingredients aside and add bell peppers.

Pour enough water to cover the chicken (about 4 cups). Add cilantro and bay leaves.

Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until chicken is tender and can be easily shredded.

Remove chicken from the pot, let it cool, then shred meat, discarding bones and skin. Reserve broth for other recipes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add shredded chicken and 2 tablespoons of media crema (table cream), mixing until well combined.

Stir in canned corn and sliced green olives, heating until warmed through. Add reserved broth if needed for the required consistency.

Serve your Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff over rice, topped with potato sticks.

Andy Garcia’s recipe for Fricase de Pollo

Ingredients

2 to 3 kilograms of chicken thighs
10 garlic cloves
1 cup of lime juice and 1 cup of orange juice combined
3 large onions, sliced
3 sliced peppers (green, red, and yellow), one of each for colour
2 small cans of tomato paste
Salt to taste
1 can of green peas
One-fourth cup of olive oil
1 cup of raisins
Half cup of pitted green olives
2 teaspoons of capers
Half teaspoon of black pepper
1 cup of Spanish dry sherry wine (or substitute apple cider vinegar if needed)
500 grams of potatoes, cut into pieces

Method

The night before, marinate the chicken in a glass container with chopped garlic, onions, green peppers, salt, black pepper, and a mix of lime and orange juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When cooking, heat oil and brown the chicken, then set it aside.

In the same casserole, sauté onions, peppers, and garlic from the marinade. Add sherry wine to deglaze the pan.

Stir in tomato paste, raisins, olives, capers, salt, and pepper.

Add the chicken to the casserole and mix well.

Add enough water to barely cover the chicken and cook over medium-low heat until the chicken is tender.

In the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking, add the potatoes to cook.

Serve the fricassee with sliced ripe plantains (cooking bananas) fried in vegetable oil and white rice.

Recipes excerpted from the podcast ‘Your Mama’s Kitchen’ on Audible.