Easy Chicken Mofongo Recipes

CHICHARRON MOFONGO

Steps:

• For the chicken: Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch chunks. Combine the olive oil with the chicken base, granulated garlic, adobo seasoning, Cajun spice, granulated onion, black pepper and all-purpose seasoning in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Deep-fry the chicken until cooked thoroughly. Drain on paper towels.
• For the mofongo: Slice the plantains into 1-inch pieces. Lightly fry until golden brown with a slightly crisp outside, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Combine the olive oil with the minced garlic, adobo seasoning, Cajun spice, granulated garlic and black pepper in a medium bowl. Add the fried plantains to the bowl and mash with a wooden pestle or potato mashing tool. Add half of the fried chicken to the mashed plantain mixture. Form a rounded mound of the mofongo mix in the center of a large plate. Arrange the remaining fried chicken pieces around the mofongo. Drizzle the Puerto Rican Remoulade over top.
• Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, granulated garlic, minced garlic, sofrito, adobo seasoning, Cajun spice, granulated onion, cayenne, black pepper and onion in a blender. Blend until an even consistency.
• Peel and slice the onion. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper. Remove the stems from the mini peppers. Combine the onion, peppers, garlic and cilantro in a blender and pulse for 30 seconds, or until an even consistency is achieved.

MOFONGO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan or large, deep skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Fry the plantains in 2 batches until golden brown on each side, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Set aside.
• Working in batches, crush the pork cracklings, garlic and salt in a wooden mortar and pestle (a pilon) or in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the plantains and mash together to incorporate. Mash in the margarine.
• Using your hands, shape the plantain mixture into 6 balls. Serve warm or hot.

CHICKEN MOFONGO RELLENO

Steps:

• For the sofrito: Put culantro, garlic, green onions, yellow onion, green pepper, cilantro and 1/4 cup water in a blender and blend.
• For the chicken: Put the chicken in a pressure cooker. Add tomato puree, chicken bouillon powder, salt, 4 tablespoons sofrito (save the remainder for another use) and 3/4 cup water. Pressure cook for 30 minutes.
• Carefully release pressure from the pressure cooker, then open it and shred the chicken with tongs. Add the green peppers and onions. Cover and pressure cook until the veggies are soft, another 2 to 3 minutes.
• For the mofongo: Heat several inches of canola oil to 350 degrees F in a large pan.
• Peel the plantains and cut into small pieces. Fry the plantains until they are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer some fried plantain pieces to a mortar and pestle. Add olive oil, garlic puree and salt and mash until well combined and it has a pastelike consistency with some small chunks of plantains.
• Mold the mashed plantain inside the mortar into a cuplike form. Plate and fill it with the chicken. Repeat to make 3 to 5 more servings.

MOFONGO

Steps:

• Heat canola oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mash the garlic with the olive oil in a mortar and pestle. Combine garlic mixture with the pork rinds in a large bowl; set aside.
• Fry the plantain chunks until golden and crispy, but not brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the fried plantains into the bowl with the garlic mixture. Toss to coat. Mash the coated plantains with the mortar and pestle until smooth. Season with salt. Roll the plantain mixture into two large balls or several small balls before serving.

MOFONGO WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool until easily handled, about 5 minutes. Shred.
• Pour chicken broth into a saucepan over medium heat. Cover and keep warm.
• Place plantains and salt in a bowl of cold water. Let soak for 5 minutes. Drain and blot dry with a paper towel.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces.
• Heat 1 inch oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry plantains in batches until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
• Smash plantains with the bottom of an empty chicken broth can. Fry again until crispy, 1 to 2 minutes more. Drain; blot with paper towels.
• Transfer plantains to a large bowl. Add bacon and garlic; mash together. Fill an empty chicken broth can halfway with mashed mixture. Press down until firmly packed. Invert can onto a plate; tap until mofongo slides onto the plate. Repeat with remaining mashed mixture.
• Cover mofongos with shredded chicken and warmed broth. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro.