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1
Season and marinate the chicken
30 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Put the chicken chunks in a bowl and squeeze the lime juice over them. Add half the minced garlic, the oregano, the adobo and half the sazon, and rub it all in. Cover and leave for 30 minutes while you start the beans.
The lime juice is not just flavour — it is the traditional first step for Dominican chicken, and it freshens the meat.
Done when: Chicken evenly coated, seasoning worked into every piece.
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2
Stew the beans with squash
25 Mins
Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Soften half the diced onion and half the diced pepper for 3 minutes, then add the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in 60 g of the tomato sauce and the rest of the sazon, then add the beans with their cooking liquid, the squash and 120 ml of water. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the squash has melted into the sauce and the beans are thick and rich.
Mash a few beans against the side of the pan if the sauce needs thickening — that is how Dominican cooks do it.
Done when: Beans tender, sauce thick enough to coat a spoon, squash dissolved.
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3
Brown the chicken and braise it
40 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F), then low simmer about 95°C (200°F); chicken to 74°C (165°F)
Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the sugar into the oil and let it melt to a dark amber, then add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Add the rest of the diced onion and pepper, the remaining tomato sauce and the olives, then pour in 240 ml of water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the centre reaches 74°C (165°F).
The browned sugar is what makes the sauce mahogany and deep — let it go dark amber, but pull the pan off the heat if it starts to smoke.
Done when: Chicken tender, sauce thick and mahogany, centre 74°C (165°F), no pink.
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4
Cook the white rice
25 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F), then low simmer about 95°C (200°F)
Put the rinsed rice in a pot with 600 ml of water, the remaining tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 18 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes off the heat, then fluff with a fork.
Do not lift the lid while it steams — the trapped steam is what cooks the top grains. The golden crust on the bottom, the concon, is the cook's prize.
Done when: Grains tender and separate, no water left in the pot.
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5
Fry the tostones
15 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the plantain rounds for 2 to 3 minutes a side until pale golden. Lift them out, smash each one flat with the bottom of a glass, and return them to the oil for 2 to 3 minutes more until deeply golden and crisp. Drain on paper and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Smash the plantains while they are still hot — once they cool they crack instead of flattening.
Done when: Deep golden, crisp at the edges, soft inside.
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6
Toss the salad and build the plate
10 Mins
Serving temperature, about 60°C (140°F)
Toss the lettuce, tomato wedges and sliced onion with the remaining lime juice and a pinch of salt. On each warm plate, place a mound of rice, a ladle of beans, a piece of chicken with some of its sauce, two or three tostones and a handful of salad — each in its own place, side by side.
Keep the piles separate — La Bandera is a flag, not a mix.
Done when: Plate full, every part hot, colours distinct: white, red and brown.
Dominican Republic
3h 15m
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