Puerto Rican Fried Chicken is one of the easiest chicken dishes to make. You only need a few simple ingredients like chicken and a few spices. But those spices are what make this a very flavorful recipe!
You must try this delicious Puerto Rican Fried Chicken recipe. In Puerto Rico, we call it pollo frito and it doesn’t matter if it is thighs or drumstick it will still be pollo frito!
It is seasoned with the typical homemade adobo, sazón spice mix, and a few other spices. It is flavorful and surprisingly juicy even though it is slowly fried for 20-22 minutes.
This is a no flour fried chicken but if you like that extra crunchy chicken pieces then give the Puerto Rican chicharrones de Pollo a try.
Almost any side is good with fried chicken. My favorite is rice like a Puerto Rican arroz guisado con maiz with a few Sweet plantains slices on the side.
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Why This Recipe Works
- The best part of this fried chicken is that it requires no type of breading and it will still be crispy!
- This is a great chicken recipe for dinner or to be served as finger food with plantain arañitas or just some french fries.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks– I use chicken drumsticks in this recipe, but you can use any part of the chicken you like. You can use chicken thighs or even chicken wings but these take about 10 minutes less.
- Lemon– Not everyone does but I like to add half of the lemon. If you like to have more of a lemony flavor then you can add the whole lemon.
- Seasonings– I used dried oregano, onion powder, adobo, and sazón. If you like to add some spiciness, add ¼ of a teaspoon of red pepper chili flakes.
- Oil– I used vegetable oil but you can use your preferred frying oil.
How to Make Puerto Rican Fried Chicken
- Photo 1: The first thing I always like to do to the chicken is to clean it. I like to remove anything that was left like feather pieces and rinse it. Then I always slit the chicken so the seasoning can penetrate better.
- Photo 2: Take half of a lemon and squeeze over the chicken and give it a good mix.
- Photo 3: Mix all the seasonings with a little bit of oil and pour it over the drumsticks. Toss it around and rub the seasoning into every little crack.
- Photo 4: First, you fry on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side and then turn that heat up to medium-high to finish your chicken. This is like a double fry but without removing the meat from the pan.
Recipe Tip
- You don’t have to leave your chicken marinating for it to have a good flavor. If you can, it is a plus but not really needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Puerto Rico, it’s not common to boil chicken and then put it to fry. It is not necessary to boil your drumsticks because they will cook all the way through in the oil. But in some countries like the Dominican Republic, some people boil their chicken before frying.
If you are making chicken drumsticks, 20 to 22 minutes will do. This always depends on how thick the chicken is. To make sure your fried chicken is cooked you just have to poke it and see if the juices run clear. If not, you must cook your chicken for a little longer.
You might think that the secret to crispy chicken is flour but that is not always the case. In Puerto Rican fried chicken we don’t use flour and yet you will get a nice crisp crust. The way that this is done is by first frying the chicken slowly. Then you turn your heat up and flip your chicken a couple of times. Like double frying!
More Recipes To Go With Fried Chicken
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Puerto Rican Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of oil with adobo, sazón, onion powder and oregano. Mix it until it is well combined and set aside.
- Score your chicken drumsticks. Make two slits on the biggest side of the chicken and one slit on the smaller side.
- Add all the drumsticks to a large bowl. Squeeze the half of lemon over it. Pour the seasoning mix over the chicken and combine well until all the pieces are covered.
- Add the oil to a large pan over medium heat. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes on each side. Turn up the heat to medium-high and fry for 6 minutes on each side. Remove from oil. Serve and enjoy.
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Jennifer Wilcox says
I love Puerto Rican food I tried to learn to cook rice beans sometimes it’s come out wrong but I try again
Stephenie says
Thank you for the visit Arthur, I hope you got to enjoy a tasty chicken.
Stephenie says
Thank you Milagros for visiting us and trying our recipe.
Stephenie says
Hi Roland, thank you for your visit. To tell you the truth that the best cooks were the old school ones. Your mom, my aunt and our grandmas! Hopefully we can get to cook as good as them.
Arthur Turner says
Hello Stephanie,
Love your recipe so I’m trying it this evening and Thanks.
Milagros Mundy says
I love the chicken it ties delicious thank you,
Roland says
Hi Stephenie: That recipe brings back memories , my mom was from Humacao & that was the way she made fried chicken. Thank you ❤️
Stephenie says
Yes it is, with rice, fries or even by itself! Thank you for visiting us.
Jd says
Delicious and easy
Stephenie says
That sounds so good! Thank you for visiting us.
Anonymous says
I’m cooking this tonight! Sides will be Yellow Rice with Pigeon Peas, Cabbage and Honey Cornbread. Thank you for this recipe.
Stephenie says
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you like the fry chicken. It is truly delicious.
Anonymous says
I got to try this 🤓☺️
Thank you 😊
Stephenie says
Hi Doug, Thank you for visiting! Leftovers are always the best!
Doug Dunks says
Holy Guacamole!! I made this and it was fantastic. The family loved and the leftovers were even batter! Thanks of publishing!