Tangy Pollo en Escabeche

This Mexican classic, Pollo en Escabeche is exciting, seductive and exotic. The sweetness of caramelized onions and the fireworks of Jalapeno pepper strikes an immediate chord with your love for Mexican food.

What is Escabeche and How to You Pronounce It?

Escabeche (es-kah-BECH-ay) is a classic Spanish recipe in which you sear meat or fish, then marinate it in a vinegary sauce loaded with herbs and spices and serve it cold or at room temperature on a hot day.

I’ve made pollo en escabeche many times and have always served it hot, and for dinner.

But if you’re looking for a picnic chicken meal, this just might be the ticket.

This dish is made by seasoning and cooking skin on, bone-in chicken in a flavorful mixture of vinegar, oil, spices, and vegetables. The result is tender and juicy chicken with a tangy and slightly sweet flavor.

Pollo en escabeche is a flavorful, easy to make dish that will work for any occasion. whether cooking for your family or entertaining guests, this dish is sure to impress. Pollo en Escabeche is is a healthy dinner option that doesn’t skimp on flavor.

So give that chicken a tangy-sweet bath. Pollo escabeche uses only one pan which makes it very desirable for a weeknight dinner.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Split Chicken Breasts: Bone in, skin on.
• Onion: Sweet or yellow onion, chopped
• Carrot: Sliced on the diagonal
• Spices: Mexican Oregano, Kosher Salt, Allspice, Freshly Ground Pepper
• Vinegar: Apple Cider or white vinegar
• Chicken Broth
• Garlic: Peeled, and sliced in half
• Oil: Choose a neutral such as canola or vegetable
• Pickled Jalapeno

Ingredient Substitutions

• Chicken: You can substitute bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, or a combo of breasts and thighs.
• Spice: If you don’t have Mexican Oregano, substitute Marjoram.
• Jalapeno Pepper: You can use fresh jalapeno pepper in place of pickled jalapeno.

Mexican Oregano is preferred for this recipe. It’s peppery, grassy, earthy flavor is a good compliment for Mexican Food. If you don’t have Mexican Oregano, substitute Marjoram. Known for its aroma and delicate flavor, its related to oregano and will bring a sweet undertone to any recipe.

Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy!

Consider this is a relatively easy pollo en escabeche for your chicken meal plans this week.

• Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the black pepper, allspice, oregano and salt. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the chicken pieces.
• Step 2: Heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Lay in the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, until richly browned. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Pro Tip Knife Skills: Always keep the hand that’s gripping the knife clean and dry. A wet hand could cause slips resulting in nicks or worse a nasty slice on your hand. 

• Step 3: Add the sliced onion and carrots to the skillet and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute, then add the remaining seasoning mixture, the vinegar, jalapenos and broth.
• Step 4: Nestle the chicken pieces skin side up in the onion mixture, cover the skillet (a cookie sheet works if your skillet doesn’t have a lid) and simmer gently over a medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Taste the broth and season with additional salt if you think it’s needed. Transfer a piece of chicken to each dinner plate, spooning a generous portion of the juicy vegetable mixture over the top.

Pro Tip: Don’t skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it’s responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It’s a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips For Success

• Make Ahead: Even though this is an easy chicken dinner, get a head start and chop the vegetables and pull together the spice mix in advance. This will save you a few minutes come time to cook the chicken.
• Feeding a crowd? Pollo Escabeche is easily doubled or tripled. Use two large fry pans to accommodate more chicken.

What To Serve With Pollo en Escabeche

With carrots and onions, pollo en escabeche is almost a meal in itself. You can also serve it with:

• Baked Oven Rice
• Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes
• Refried Beans
• Top it with a dollop of Guacamole
• Or keep things super healthy with this Southwestern Salad.

Storage and Leftovers

Escabeche de pollo will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days in an air tight container. To reheat, place chicken in a microwave safe bowl and loosely cover. Microwave on 50% power in one minute increments until warm and steamy. I find that gently heating using the method will keep the chicken from drying out.

In Conclusion

Try Pollo Escabeche! This traditional Mexican dish features tender chicken cooked in a tangy, sweet, and sour sauce, along with a colorful medley of vegetables. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal or for entertaining guests. Impress your family and friends with this mouthwatering Mexican chicken entree!

More Mexican Chicken Dinner Recipes

And if you love Mexican food as much as we do, don’t miss our Mexican Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes including the most popular on my site for Campechana, Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.

I’m sure it comes to no surprise that this is a tried and true Rick Bayless Recipe. I hope you give it a try.

Tangy Pollo en Escabeche

The sweetness of caramelized onions and the fireworks of jalapeno pepper strikes an immediate chord with your love for Mexican food.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course Chicken

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 234kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dried oregano preferably Mexican
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 chicken breast halves bones and skins intact, about 2 pounds
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• ▢ 1 large white onion cut into 1/4-inch slices
• ▢ 2 large carrots peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick on a diagonal
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves peeled and halved
• ▢ 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 to 4 canned pickled jalapenos stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced [Note: I used pre-sliced pickled jalapenos]
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth

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Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the black pepper, allspice, oregano and salt. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the chicken breasts.
• Heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Lay in the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, until richly browned. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.
• Add the sliced onion and carrots to the skillet and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute, then add the remaining seasoning mixture, the vinegar, jalapenos and broth.
• Nestle the chicken pieces skin side up in the onion mixture, cover the skillet (a cookie sheet works if your skillet doesn’t have a lid) and simmer gently over a medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Taste the broth and season with additional salt if you think it’s needed. Transfer a piece of chicken to each dinner plate, spooning a generous portion of the juicy vegetable mixture over the top.

Notes

I have also used fresh sliced jalapeno in this recipe.

Tips for Success: 

• Don’t have a lid for a large skillet? Use a sheet pan to cover. 
• Make Ahead: Even though this is an easy chicken dinner, get a head start and chop the vegetables and pull together the spice mix in advance. This will save you a few minutes come time to cook the chicken.
• Feeding a crowd? This recipe is easily doubled or tripled. Use two large fry pans to accommodate more chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1081mg | Potassium: 670mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6193IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

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Pollo de Escabeche …. It’s What’s For Dinner

Lea Ann Brown

Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.