Chicken braised in a tomato sauce with potato, carrot, and bell pepper. Afritada is the plainest of the Filipino tomato stews — no liver as in caldereta, no soy-darkening as in mechado, just chicken simmered until tender in a bright red sauce. The bell peppers, added near the end, keep a little crunch and lift the dish with their sweetness. It is a weeknight staple served over rice.
Afritada takes its name from the Spanish fritada, 'a fried dish,' a nod to the colonial practice of frying the meat before braising it. It arrived through more than three centuries of Spanish influence and settled into the everyday Filipino table as the simplest of the guisado tomato stews. Chicken is the usual choice for its quickness, though pork and beef versions are common.
Tender pieces of chicken in a clean, bright tomato sauce, with potato and carrot cooked soft and ribbons of red and green bell pepper still slightly firm. The sauce is lighter and sweeter than caldereta's, tasting clearly of tomato rather than of liver or soy. Spooned over rice, it is gentle, homey food.
Searing the chicken first sets a light fond and renders some fat that flavors the sauce. The tomato's acidity both seasons and slowly tenderizes the meat, while the gentle simmer keeps the chicken from toughening. Holding the bell peppers until the last few minutes preserves their crispness and the fresh, grassy sweetness that fades if they stew too long.
Variations
Chicken afritada is the default; pork afritada and a mixed chicken-and-pork version are common. Some cooks add green peas or sliced hot dog, and a richer take finishes with a little fish sauce for depth. Afritada, menudo, and caldereta form a continuum of Filipino tomato stews, distinguished by cut, sauce color, and added ingredients.
On the Palate
Where Afritada sits in the Filipino flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 5
How it's made
7 steps · 20 min
- 120 min
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- 210 min
Saute garlic and onion in oil until fragrant, then brown the chicken on all sides.
- 325 min
Pour in tomato sauce and a little water, bring to a simmer, and braise gently until the chicken is nearly tender.
- 415 min
Add the potato and carrot and continue cooking until they are soft.
- 55 min
Add the bell pepper strips and simmer just a few minutes so they keep their crunch.
Watch outAdd the bell peppers only in the last few minutes — cook them longer and they lose the crisp, grassy sweetness that lifts the stew.
- 68 min
Adjust the seasoning and reduce the sauce until it lightly coats the chicken.
- 73 min
Serve hot over steamed rice.
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