Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Chicharrón de Pollo
Marinated chicken pieces dredged and fried crisp, a Dominican favorite from colmado counters and family lunches.
Dominican · easy · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 20 min
~505 cal · 57g protein · 31g carbs · 14g fat · 1g fiber · 1g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Chicharron de pollo is one of the Dominican Republic's most popular ways to cook chicken: bite-sized pieces marinated, dredged, and fried until shatteringly crisp. It is a fixture of the colmado, the corner store and bar, and of casual lunches everywhere.
The marinade is pure Dominican: sour orange or lime, garlic, oregano, and a splash of soy sauce, which lends colour and a savoury depth. A light dredge in seasoned flour or cornstarch gives the crust, and the pieces are fried hot and fast.
Served with tostones (fried green ), rice, or just a wedge of lime, it is finger food and family food at once, the kind of thing that vanishes from the plate before it has properly cooled.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lb bone-in chicken, cut small
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup sour orange or lime juice
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 cup cornstarch, for dredging
for frying oil, for frying
Instructions
1
Marinate the chicken in the soy sauce, citrus, garlic, and oregano for at least 30 minutes.
2
Drain, then toss the pieces in cornstarch to coat.
✎ Chef’s note
A cornstarch dredge (rather than flour) fries up especially light and crisp, and keeps the dish gluten-free apart from the marinade.
3
Fry in hot oil, in batches, until deep golden and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
4
Drain and serve hot with lime, tostones, or rice.
Dominican colmado tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Cibao. This valley is where the food comes from before anyone cooks it. The Cibao is the country's agricultural centre, growing rice, cacao, coffee, tobacco and plantains, and the midday bandera of rice, red beans and stewed meat is put together largely from what the valley itself grows.
🗺️
Dominican Republic. Mangu is made from green plantain, boiled and mashed with the cooking water until smooth, and its standard companions have a name: los tres golpes, the three hits, meaning fried cheese, fried salami and fried onions on the side. It is breakfast, and the salami in question is a distinctly Dominican product rather than an Italian one.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Dominican Republic
MangúSilky mashed green plantains under pickled red onions, the Dominican breakfast that carries the day.
La Bandera DominicanaThe Dominican everyday plate: white rice, stewed red beans, and braised meat, often with fried plantain.
Habichuelas con DulceA sweet, creamy pudding of blended red beans, coconut, and sweet potato, a uniquely Dominican Lenten dessert.
Browse all Dominican Republic recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Dominican Republic meal
Morir SoñandoDrink
Habichuelas con DulceDessert
La Bandera DominicanaDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Chicharrón de Pollo?
Marinated chicken pieces dredged and fried crisp, a Dominican favorite from colmado counters and family lunches.
Where does Chicharrón de Pollo come from?
Chicharrón de Pollo is a Dominican dish from Cibao, Dominican Republic.
Can Chicharrón de Pollo be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Chicharrón de Pollo recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Chicharrón de Pollo safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Chicharrón de Pollo take to make?
About 50 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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