Mely Martínez’s Pollo a la Veracruzana (Chicken Veracruz-Style)

Mely Martínez’s Pollo a la Veracruzana is adapted from her 2020 cookbook, The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes that Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico. We reviewed the book in September 2020.

I was attracted to the dish because as a child, Martínez spent summers in Veracruz, at her grandmother’s farm. Her version features bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or breasts (I used a combo), which you sear then add to sautéed onion, garlic, diced carrots and potatoes, along with tomato sauce, olives, raisins, capers and herbs. It’s wonderful, easy, ready in about an hour and — as Martínez points out in her headnote — very forgiving and riffable according to the vegetables you have on hand. If it’s not tomato season, substitute one 14.5-ounce can of chopped tomatoes for the fresh ones. Serve with Arroz Blanco (Mexican-style white rice) and (if you have them) pickled jalapeños.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

1 pound roughly chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, whole, or 3 bone-in, skin-on breasts, cut in half, or a combination

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 medium white onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, diced

1 large potato, diced

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or a fresh sprig

1/2 teaspoon marjoram (optional)

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed olives, sliced

1/4 cup raisins

2 teaspoons capers, drained

Instructions

1. Place the tomatoes in the jar of a blender with 1 cup of water and blend until smooth. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat till shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add it to the skillet and brown 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Once the chicken is browned, remove it from the pan and set it aside (somewhere it will stay warm).

3. Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat about 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Strain the puréed tomatoes into the skillet, using a wooden spoon to push it through the strainer if necessary. Stir to combine.

4. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet, bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the bay leaf, thyme, marjoram (if using), olives, raisins, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine, cover and simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked, 10 to 15 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size and type of chicken pieces (if you are using both thighs and breasts, add the thighs first and wait 2 or 3 minutes before adding the breasts). Serve with Arroz Bianco and pickled jalapeños (if you have them).