the classic recipe
Brazilian chicken stroganoff
Brazilian chicken stroganoff is middle-class comfort food — a rosy-orange sauce built from tomato and cream, tender chunks of chicken, sliced mushrooms, and a mandatory crown of crunchy shoestring potato sticks. Served over fluffy white rice. It's the weeknight meal that became a national tradition. Skip the potato sticks and you're making something else entirely.
yields 5 servings·826 kcal per serving·cuisine Brazilian
The traditional recipe
Instructions
Cut the chicken breast into 2–3 cm cubes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the chicken in a single layer without overlapping. Sear for 3–4 minutes without stirring to build a crust (Maillard reaction). Flip and sear the other side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
In the same pan (do not wash it), reduce heat to medium. Add a splash of olive oil if needed. Sauté the diced onion for 3 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Pour in the cognac and scrape the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pan (deglazing). Let the alcohol cook off for about 1 minute.
Add the tomato paste, ketchup, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce deepens in color and becomes fragrant.
Return the seared chicken to the pan along with the drained mushrooms. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes so the chicken finishes cooking in the sauce.
With the heat on the lowest setting, add the heavy cream and stir gently until fully incorporated. Do not let it boil after adding the cream — just warm through until the sauce is smooth and velvety. Adjust salt.
Serve immediately over white rice. Top each portion with shoestring potato sticks right at the table — never mix them in beforehand.
Who this dish is for
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