Pollo Relleno Cubano is translated to Cuban Stuffed Chicken but the chickens are not stuffed with Cubans. The chicken is marinated in achiote, cumin, olive oil, oregano, garlic, and coriander sauces overnight. Then the chicken is stuffed with chorizo, onion, garlic, mustard greens, potatoes, green olives, salt, pepper and baked to tender perfection.
This Cuban recipe calls for a type of chicken called a poussin, less commonly called coquelet. It’s a butcher’s term for a young chicken, less than 28 days old at slaughter and usually weighing 400–450 grams (14–16 oz) but not above 750 grams (26 oz).
In the United States, poussin is an alternative name for a small-sized cross-breed chicken called Rock Cornish game hen, developed in the late 1950s, which is twice as old and twice as large as the typical British poussin.
This Cuban Stuffed Chicken recipe takes a little more work in the kitchen, but with good planning, it can be the centerpiece of a magnificent dinner the whole family will enjoy.
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Pollo Relleno Cubano ~ Cuban Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
For the Maranade:
- 1 package achiote paste
- 1 tsp toasted cumin
- ½ cup olive oil
- Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped
- ground coriander
- 2 poussins small chickens
For the Stuffing:
- 4 links hard dried Spanish chorizo
- 1 Spanish onion diced
- 4 tbsp garlic
- 1 bunch mustard greens trimmed, and roughly chopped
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 potato diced and balanced
- 2 tbsp green olives sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Marinade Sauce:
- Place the achiote paste, cumin, olive oil, oregano, 1 tablespoon of garlic, and coriander in the food processor and blend well. Let the food processor turn them all into a paste-like substance.1 package achiote paste, 1 tsp toasted cumin, ½ cup olive oil, Mexican oregano, 1 tbsp garlic, ground coriander
- Marinate the chicken all over – both inside and outside. Leave in the fridge overnight.
Prepare the Stuffing:
- Heat a large sauté pan and add some chorizos, before cooking for approximately 5 minutes.4 links hard dried Spanish chorizo
- Add onion and 4 tablespoons of garlic to the crispy chorizo and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.1 Spanish onion, 4 tbsp garlic
- Deglaze the pan with chicken stock and add mustard greens. Cook for a further 2 minutes. Once the greens have wilted, add potatoes, green olives. Add salt and pepper for flavor.1 bunch mustard greens, ½ cup chicken stock, 1 potato, 2 tbsp green olives, salt and pepper
- Remove from stove and allow stuffing has cooled down
Bring it Togather:
- Add stuffing mix in the chicken in equal measures.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an hour.
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Did You Know?
Stuffing meat is a very old way of cooking. First mentioned during the Middle Ages in the Roman cookbook by Marcus Gavius Apicius, De Re Coquinaria, contains recipes for stuffed chicken, dormouse, hare, and pig.
Marcus Gavius Apicius is believed to have been a Roman gourmet and lover of luxury, who lived sometime in the 1st century AD, during the reign of Tiberius.
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Love me some Pollos Rellenos