Chicken Afritada with Fried Banana

Chicken Afritada with Fried Banana

Afritada is probably one of the all-time favorite filipino dishes, it also has some versions and varieties like Chicken Afritada, Pork Afritada and Beef Afritada . Since Philippines is being surrounded by a body of water, there are some regions who prefer to use fish as an alternative to meat. Boneless bangus (milkfish), Lapu-lapu (grouper) and Tilapia are the best ones. You just have to fry the fish first to avoid it from breaking apart and to make its color more appealing to the eyes. Also, you might want to consider adding some ginger or lemongrass to remove the taste of fish (lansa).

Afritada is a tomato based dish, added with ingredients like potatoes, carrots, bell peppers and a lot more. The taste is similar to Menudo and Kaldereta. They may taste almost the same but still afritada is afritada, it still has its own name and unique taste that makes it special and different from the others.

Today, I'm going to teach you how to cook Chicken Afritada with a twist. I'm going to add fried banana (saba or plantain), it will not only make the dish sweeter but also a good extender if you are on a tight budget. Anyway, if you want a fast and simple dessert made with banana, you should read my recipe about Minatamis na Saging with Calamansi.

I use  chicken for this recipe because it has more health benefits than pork and is cheaper than beef. It also saves you more time in cooking because chicken cooks faster than pork and beef. So, if your kids want afritada but don't have enough time and budget, then Chicken Afritada with Fried Banana is the best recipe for you.

Okay, let's start cooking!

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo chicken, cut into serving size
• 2 pcs. medium size potatoes, cut into serving size
• 1 pc. large carrot, cut into serving size
• 4 pcs. ripe banana (saba/plantain) sliced
• 1 pc. large red bellpepper, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 8 ounce tomato sauce
• 3 pcs. dried bay leaves
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. cooking oil
• Powdered seasoning (any brand), to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

How to Cook Chicken Afritada with Fried Banana:

1. Heat cooking oil in a pot.
2. Pan-fry the bananas until color turns to light brown. Remove and set aside. Saba or plantain has a dietary fiber which helps normalize our bowel movements. It also contains vitamin C which is a good immune system booster and vitamin A that keeps our eyes healthy.
3. On the same pan, saute the onion and garlic. Next, saute the chicken. Cover and let it simmer for 2 mins. Chicken is a great source of protein specially the breast part. Good for body-builders and health buff. Just remove the skin to avoid fats and cholesterol.
4. Pour-in tomato sauce and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that protects our body from diseases. Based on studies, regular consume or eating of tomatoes prevents us from cancers such as cancer of the lung, pancreas and prostate to name a few.
5. Add-in potatoes, carrots,bellpepper and dried bay leaves. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the vegetables become fork-tender.
6. Season with salt, black pepper, sugar and powdered seasoning. Cook for a few more minutes over low heat.
7. Add-in fried bananas and stir gently. Turn off heat.
8. Transfer to a plate and serve.

TIPS:

• You can also fry the potatoes, carrots and bellpepper to achieve a burn-like flavor and to enhance their aroma.
• Add about 2 tbsp. of vinegar while cooking, to prevent the chicken afritada from spoiling too early in a room temperature.

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