Juicy seared chicken thighs simmered in a delicious sofrito sauce. This Chicken Sofrito recipe will be your new weeknight staple!
I would always hear people talk about Sofrito and I had no idea what the heck they were talking about! It always sounded delicious but I always assumed that it was just a type of salsa and that I wasn’t missing out on much. Well turns out, I was definitely missing out because it’s the bomb and it’s in fact a type of salsa. A tomato cooking base to be exact!
WHAT IS SOFRITO?
Sofrito is more of a Cuban/Puerto Rican/Caribbean cooking base of tomatoes, pepper, onions, garlic, and herbs that’s used for cooking meats or as toppings for tacos and the like.
WHAT DO YOU USE SOFRITO IN?
This yummy condiment can be used in a couple of things in cooking like a base for stews, soups, rice and beans. Your taste buds will thank you, trust me! It’ll be hard for you to stop loading up your rice with the Sofrito Chicken sauce.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOFRITO AND RECAITO?
Recaito is a green, cilantro based puree and Sofrito is a red puree due to the addition of tomato sauce. I do not recommend substituting Sofrito for Recaito because the flavor outcome will change due to the exclusion of tomatoes in Recaito.
Questions about this Sofirto Chicken? Did you make this recipe? Let me know in the comments below! Tag me #chefelizabethreese on Instagram, I’d love to see your creations!
Sofrito Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1½ Tablespoon Cilantro, chopped
- Adobo Seasoning (I used Goya Brand)
- Garlic Powder, as needed
- Kosher salt and black pepper, as needed
- Paprika, as needed
- 2 Packs Goya Sazón Con Culantro y Achiote
- 2-3 Tablespoons Sofrito, Tomato Cooking Base (I used Goya Brand) (Start with 2 tablespoons then gradually add more after tasting while simmering)
- ½ Cup Yellow onion, chopped
- 2½ Tablespoons Green Onion, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1½ Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Canola oil, more as needed
Instructions
- Heat a large casserole 4 quart skillet over medium heat.
- Generously coat the chicken thighs with a little salt (one side), black pepper, garlic powder, both sazon packets, paprika and a little adobo seasoning. Sear on both sides for about 2-3 minutes to form a nice crust. You will not be cooking them all the way through during this step.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of Sofrito to start, mix well. Add additional if necessary. Then add chicken broth and cover the chicken ¾ of the way, not completely. Add more chicken broth if necessary.
- Turn the heat down to low and stir in yellow onion, green onion, cilantro and lime juice. Cover and simmer for about an hour.
- About half way through, do a quick taste test and add additional adobo seasoning, or any other spices if needed. When the chicken begins to fall apart, serve over Goya Yellow rice. Enjoy!
Judi Johnson says
Way too salty, do not salt your chicken, the sofrito and hoya rice have plenty!! All I tasted was salt
Chef Elizabeth Reese says
Hi Judi, how much Sofrito did you use? You want to start out with 2 tablespoons then taste test throughout the cooking processing add more if needed. I also usually salt one side of my chicken with a little salt so you want to make sure you aren’t over salting your chicken to prevent this from happening.
Grace says
Very good as written🥰
Chef Elizabeth Reese says
Thank you! 🙂
Kelly says
Can I use bone In skin on chicken thighs for this recipe?
Chef Elizabeth Reese says
Hi Kelly! Absolutely, boneless/ skinless chicken thighs are just my personal preference 🙂
Beth says
I followed the recipe exactly. It is delish, and will be a family favorite for a long time to come. Thank You!
Chef Elizabeth Reese says
Hi Beth- Im so glad you loved it! It’s one of my favorites!
Frieda says
WOW! This was amazing! My boyfriend is Panamanian and he loves this! I followed the recipe and it was so simple. Definitely will be a regular meal for us. Paired it with homemade yellow rice.
Chef Elizabeth Reese says
Thank you! Glad to hear that you guys loved it!
Alison Keefe says
I was hoping to use 2 big bone in split chicken breasts. I was hoping you could clarify as needed amount in any way – adobo,garlic powder, pepper, paprika,. Salt -kosher, seasalt or regular. Also with the 2 large split chicken breasts 1 or 2 packs sazon. My fingers came to a hault because I don’t want it to salty or too overseasoned.🤦♀️🤷♀️ I don’t use email though. That’s a really old one with 8k messages 🤦♀️
Alison Keefe says
The salt was a questin of which type. Also I said my dinner came to a hault but my phone likes to switch it up LOL🤣
Elizabeth Reese says
Hi Alison- by as needed I essentially mean as much or as little as you’d like. Usually, season both sides of the chicken based on your preference of spices. As for salt, Kosher salt is listed in the ingredients section. Enjoy!