June 20, 2022
Vegan Chick’n Afritada
A true Filipino comfort food favorite, this vegan chick’n afritada is simmered in a rich tomato-based sauce with seasoned chick’n, potatoes, carrots, and peppers until savory and tender.
chicken afritada
Growing up, chicken afritada was something we ate on a weekly basis. It’s a simple dish with humble ingredients, consisting of chicken, potatoes, and veggies simmered in a rich and flavorful tomato-based sauce. Serve it over rice, and it’s a true comfort food favorite – like a hug in bowl ???? I have such fond memories of my mom and aunt cooking chicken afritada, and the whole house enveloping in its smell, which is why I’m so happy I was able to vaeganize it and share it with all of you!
Grab a drink and let’s get to cooking my version of vegan chick’n afritada!
what is chicken afritada?
Afritada is a Filipino dish consisting of chicken, beef or pork braised in a tomato-based stew with potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. It is typically served with white rice, and is a common everyday Filipino meal. The name afritada is derived from Spanish fritada (“fried”), which refers to the first step of the preparation in which the meat is pan-fried before simmering in the tomato sauce.
While the base remains mostly the same – a stew-like tomato base – afritada can have different names, depending on the protein of the dish. For example, afritada contains chicken or pork, menudo contains pork, mechado contains beef, and caldereta contains beef or goat. Additionally, there are also some variations of afritada with seafood.
what goes in vegan chick’n afritada (plus substitutions)
I love this dish because it’s very humble, requiring common pantry and refrigerator staples, and very accessible ingredients. Here’s everything you need to make my vegan chick’n afritada:
- Avocado oil
- Vegan chick’n: any brand works. You can also sub for soy curls.
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- White onion: you can sub red onion
- Russet potatoes: sub gold or red potatoes
- Carrots
- Vegan chick’n bouillon powder: or bouillon paste or cubes. Additionally, if you’re unable to find vegan chick’n bouillon, you can sub it for vegetable bouillon.
- Garlic
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Tomato sauce
- Vegan-friendly granulated sugar
- Bay leaves
- Bell pepper
- Peas
- White rice
how to make vegan chick’n afritada
This vegan chick’n afritada comes together really easily! Here’s how to make it:
- Pan fry the chick’n pieces in large pot until completely heated through and slightly crisp around the edges. Transfer the chick’n to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the onion, potatoes, carrots, and bouillon powder. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the onions are translucent.
- Next, add the garlic, soy sauce, crushed tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, add the bay leaves, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are slightly softened, add the bell peppers, peas and reserved chick’n, and continue to simmer, covered, for another 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Serve the chick’n afritada with white rice and enjoy!
more veganized filipino favorites
Vegan chick’n afritada!
I hope you love my vegan version of chick’n afritada as much as I do! If you try this dish and enjoy it, I wanna know! Snap a photo, take a video, or make a story and post it to Instagram or TikTok, and tag me at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing your recreations of my recipes!
Til next time, friends!
xo!
Vegan Chick'n Afritada
Ingredients
- • 2 tablespoons avocado oil divided
- • 1 pound vegan chick’n
- • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper plus more to taste
- • 1 ½ cup white onion diced
- • 2 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- • 2 cups carrots peeled and chopped
- • 1 tablespoon vegan chick’n bouillon powder
- • 12 cloves garlic minced
- • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- • 1 tablespoon vegan-friendly granulated sugar
- • 3 bay leaves
- • 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- • 1 large green bell pepper chopped
- • 2 cups peas
- • White rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chick’n pieces, season with the salt and pepper, and sauté, stirring often, until the chick’n is completely heated through and slightly crisp around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the chick’n to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, potatoes, carrots, and bouillon powder. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, add the garlic, soy sauce, crushed tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, tomato sauce, 1 cup of water, and sugar. Give it a good stir to ensure everything is combined and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a light boil, reduce the heat to low, add the bay leaves, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are slightly softened, add the bell peppers, peas and reserved chick’n, and continue to simmer, covered, for another 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Serve the chick’n afritada with white rice and enjoy!
I am obsessed with this recipe!! It was so hard to resist the temptation to add a bunch of spices, it seemed to simple for my liking. I was so wrong, the simplicity makes it perfect comfort food. We loved it!