Chicharrones de Pollo
Latin Caribbean Fried Chicken Bites
César Pérez
•
May 8, 2025
Chicharrones de pollo are a common menu item at Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban restaurants and casual eateries. This Latin Caribbean variation of fried chicken comes in various forms, including bone-in or boneless, breaded or unbreaded, and is made from the whole chicken or just the thighs or breasts. A common thread among all these variations is the generous seasoning that relies heavily on garlic, acid in either the form of lime or white vinegar, and a healthy dose of adobo, sazón, or both. These seasoning blends are easily found in most well-stocked grocery stores, but making them from scratch allows for personal preferences to truly shine through. While these are traditionally deep-fried in neutral oil, some variations also use lard. They also cook and crisp up wonderfully in an air fryer with a little help from some cooking oil spray. Serve with plenty of extra limes on the side, and pair it with white rice and stewed red beans for one of my all-time favorite comfort meals.
Ingredients (18)
Ingredients (18)
For the chicken
For the sazón
For the breading
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the chicken and all of the ingredients for the sazón. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight.
In a separate large shallow bowl or sheet tray, whisk together the all purpose flour, corn starch, salt, and white pepper. In batches, dredge chicken pieces thoroughly and dust off any excess. Place on a rack lined baking sheet.
In a deep skillet, heat 2 cups of neutral oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 °F. In batches, cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Make sure your pan is not overcrowded so that the chicken crisps nicely. Drain on a paper towel lined sheet tray with a rack and immediately sprinkle with a little salt.
Serve hot with lime wedges. This would pair beautifully with fried plantains, rice and beans, or fries.
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