Pollo al Disco

Last month I went on an extended trip to Argentina.  And as you’d expect I ate a lot of Argentinan food while down there.  I had all the classics like milanesa a la napolitana, all sorts of varieties of empanadas, and of course the many different cuts of Asado grilled meats often served with chimichurri sauce.  But I was also lucky enough to be introduced to a few Argentine dishes that I had never heard of before.  And today we’re going to make one of those delicious dishes with pollo al disco.

What is Pollo al Disco?

As I’m sure many of you remember from your high school Spanish class, pollo is Spanish for chicken.  So it should come as no surprise that the star of today’s dish is chicken!

But what exactly is al Disco?

Well, despite the fact that it is often made for big parties Pollo al Disco has nothing to do with the crazy 70’s era Argentine disco scene.  Instead, it refers to the specific type of cooking pan that the dish is made in.  Which is a circular metal “disk”, often 24 inches in diameter, and 6 inches deep.  

Now obviously if you don’t live in Argentina you probably don’t own a disk/disco.  But don’t worry, you can still make today’s dish with any sort of wide circular pan that has walls.  

A Dish With Many Variations

While I was researching recipes for pollo al disco one thing become very clear from the beginning.  And that’s the fact that pollo al disco can be made in all sorts of ways.  Honestly, the only real constant is that its pieces of chicken braised in some sort of liquid with vegetables.  

But, the chicken can be anything from bone-in, boneless, skin-on, skillless, breast, thighs, legs, or wings.  You name it!

The braising liquid could be all wine, all chicken stock, all beer, or some mixture of those three.  

While the vegetables could include any mixture of onion, leeks, bell peppers, potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and peas.

So really, the dish that I’m presenting to you folks today is simply my best rendition of the pollo al disco I had while I was in Argentina.  

Why am I bringing all of this up?  Well, the reason is that I want you to feel free to make this dish your own.  So if all you like is boneless skinless chicken thighs then use that.  Go ahead and swap out the dry white wine with your favorite type of beer.  And if there are any vegetables you’d like to add/remove then do it!  Because at the end of the day al disco is simply a method for making a dish, not a hard-line recipe.

Pollo al Disco Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons of oil 

3 to 4 Lbs of bone-in skin-on chicken pieces (breast, thighs, legs, or wings)

2 to 3 Carrots, cut into coins

2 Medium potatoes, peeled and cut into inch sized chunks

1 Large onion, sliced

1 Red bell pepper, sliced

3 to 4 Cloves of garlic, minced

2 Bay leaves

1 Teaspoon of dried oregano

1 Teaspoon of paprika

½ to 1 Teaspoon of chili flakes (optional)

2 Cups of dry white wine

1 Cup of chicken stock

1 Cup of green peas, frozen

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Brown the chicken: Lightly salt each piece of chicken on all sides.  Then pour the ¼ cup of oil into a walled pan or pot and place it over medium-high heat.  Once the pan/pot is hot place the chicken pieces in skin side down and let them cook for roughly 5 minutes, or until they are nicely browned.  Turn the chicken over and let them cook for another 5 minutes.  Once all the chicken pieces are browned remove them from the pan/pot and set them aside.

2. Sautee the vegetables: Toss the carrots and potatoes into the same hot pan/pot and sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on them.  Sautee both of these ingredients for roughly 5 minutes.  Then toss in the onion and bell pepper and continue to sautee all of the vegetables for an additional 5 minutes or until the onions become soft and translucent.

3. Add the garlic, bay leaves, oregano, paprika, and chili flakes to the pan/pot, and continue to sautee everything for an additional minute or two.

4. Braise everything: Add the browned chicken pieces back to the pan/pot.  Pour in the 2 cups of white wine and stir everything together.  Let the wine simmer and reduce for 5 minutes then pour in the cup of chicken stock.  Stir everything together once again and let the liquid come back to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and let everything simmer and cook uncovered for roughly 30 to 40 minutes.  You will know you are done when the potatoes are fork-tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉, 74℃.  

5. Finish the dish: Add the green pea to the pan/pot and stir everything together for a minute.  Turn off the heat then taste the braising liquid and add any additional salt & pepper to your liking.  

6. Dish the chicken pieces along with the vegetables and braising liquid on plates and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Pollo al Disco Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons of oil
• 3 to 4 Lbs of bone-in skin-on chicken pieces breast, thighs, legs, or wings
• 2 to 3 Carrots cut into coins
• 2 Medium potatoes peeled and cut into inch sized chunks
• 1 Large onion sliced
• 1 Red bell pepper sliced
• 3 to 4 Cloves of garlic minced
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 Teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 Teaspoon of paprika
• ½ to 1 Teaspoon of chili flakes optional
• 2 Cups of dry white wine
• 1 Cup of chicken stock
• 1 Cup of green peas frozen
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Brown the chicken: Lightly salt each piece of chicken on all sides. Then pour the ¼ cup of oil into a walled pan or pot and place it over medium-high heat. Once the pan/pot is hot place the chicken pieces in skin side down and let them cook for roughly 5 minutes, or until they are nicely browned. Turn the chicken over and let them cook for another 5 minutes. Once all the chicken pieces are browned remove them from the pan/pot and set them aside.
• Sautee the vegetables: Toss the carrots and potatoes into the same hot pan/pot and sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on them. Sautee both of these ingredients for roughly 5 minutes. Then toss in the onion and bell pepper and continue to sautee all of the vegetables for an additional 5 minutes or until the onions become soft and translucent.
• Add the garlic, bay leaves, oregano, paprika, and chili flakes to the pan/pot, and continue to sautee everything for an additional minute or two.
• Braise everything: Add the browned chicken pieces back to the pan/pot. Pour in the 2 cups of white wine and stir everything together. Let the wine simmer and reduce for 5 minutes then pour in the cup of chicken stock. Stir everything together once again and let the liquid come back to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let everything simmer and cook uncovered for roughly 30 to 40 minutes. You will know you are done when the potatoes are fork-tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉, 74℃.
• Finish the dish: Add the green pea to the pan/pot and stir everything together for a minute. Turn off the heat then taste the braising liquid and add any additional salt & pepper to your liking.
• Dish the chicken pieces along with the vegetables and braising liquid on plates and enjoy!