Soy Butter Chicken
Pollo ala Barbacoa, aka Cuban soy butter chicken is a dish based out of communism and poverty. Cuba, being a communist country, doesn’t always have access to everyday ingredients. This soy butter chicken was created by making the most out of what was available. This dish was traditionally only made with 3 ingredients: chicken, butter, and soy sauce. You can use any cut of chicken except boneless skinless in this recipe. I’m partial to chicken thighs. Once they are seasoned, the most important thing is to get nice crispy skin on the chicken. To achieve this, the oil has to be hot. Once you place the chicken in the saucepan, don’t touch it. Let that skin brown for 6-7 minutes. If you touch it before hand, the skin will stick to the pan and tear. So don’t touch it. The best part of this dish is the sauce. The best way to utilize it is to toss in your favorite shaped pasta and cook for 3-4 minutes. I like to use gemilli, but penne, farfalle, fusilli, or caveteppi are all great choices. A spaghetti shaped noodle wouldn’t work as well.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 bone in chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup water
- 8 oz uncooked pasta prepared accordingly to package directions
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Make sure to get the seasoning underneath the skin.
- Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Place the chicken thighs skin side down, searing for 6-7 minutes a side.
- Add in the remaining ingredients. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat for 25 minutes, occasionally basting the chicken with the sauce.
- The sauce will reduce and thicken on it’s own. Remove the chicken.
- Stir in the cooked pasta of your choosing. I’m partial to gemilli. Cook for 3-4 minutes in the sauce.
