Healthy Filipino Recipe for Chicken Afritada—Awesome for Weight Loss!

Chicken Afritada is a classic Filipino recipe, the kind of thing you’d see served all over the Philippines. My healthy version of this Filipino recipe is made with chicken (sometimes you’ll see it made with beef or pork), and you can control the amount of carbs by leaving out or reducing the amount of potatoes in the afritada. Traditionally, chicken afritada would be served over rice, but you can vary this as well to hit your macro goals for the day. It’s even healthier and just as delicious eaten straight up without the extra carbs.

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Healthy Filipino Recipe for Chicken Afritada with Vegetables

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

- 3 lbs of skinless chicken drumsticks or skinless chicken breast with rib

- 2 to 3 tbsp of olive oil or coconut oil

- ½ cup baby carrots or carrots cut in rounds

- 1 medium onion chopped

- 1 cup zucchini, quartered and then sliced thick

- 6 oz tomato paste

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 1/3 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos

- 4 cloves of garlic chopped

- 2 bay leaves

- Optional: 4 to 5 red potatoes cut into quarters

Directions:

In a small bow, whisk together the soy sauce (or coconut aminos if you’re Paleo) and tomato paste.

Heat a medium-size pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 to 3 tbsp of the oil of your choice.

Add the onions and the chicken. Saute until the chicken is brown on both sides, flipping it once. Add the garlic and bay leave. Stir for just long enough for the garlic to release it’s flavors, but not so long that you burn it, less than 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce and tomato paste mixture and toss the chicken until it’s thoroughly coated. Add the chicken broth.

Bring the contents to a boil. If you’re using red potatoes, add then now. Cover your pot and lower the heat to medium low. Simmer everything for 30 minutes. Add the carrots and zucchini. Cover the pot again and simmer for 15 more minutes. The zucchini will cook faster than the carrots, so make the pieces a bit bigger.

Your healthy Filipino recipe for chicken afritada is ready to serve as is. You can serve it over rice or eat it as a low carb stew. Enjoy!