Chicken Mofongo

Mofongo, a favorite of Dominican and Puerto Rican cuisine, is just about the best thing to happen to a plantain since, well, ever. I mean there's the ever-popular fried sweet plantains, the tostones, and just a plantain sans anything. But the richness of mofongo really outshines all of its brother and sister dishes.

A little mofongo goes a long way, and you won't catch me telling you it's healthy, so maybe don't eat just mofonog. But if this doesn't make you run out and leave your grocery store bare of plantins, then I don't know what will. Enjoy!

Chicken Mofongo

Yield: 2
Ingredients

• 2 green plantains, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1/2 to 1 cup canola oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
• salt, to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Mash the garlic with the olive oil in a mortar and pestle or whatever you have on hand. Combine garlic mixture with the chicken in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Heat canola oil in a large pan. Fry the plantain chunks until golden and crispy, but not brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the fried plantains into the bowl with the garlic mixture. Toss to coat. Mash the coated plantains until smooth. Season with salt.
4. Roll the plantain mixture into two large balls or several small balls before serving.
5. It can also be served with chicken broth over it.

Fried Sweet Plantains

Have mercy! I am in love with practically all things plantains! Tostones, mofongo, maduros, you name it. Heck, even a raw black plantain makes my heart sing. But one of my favorite treats is frying up some sweet plantains. Once they've turned yellow or black, slice those puppies up and toss them in a skillet. Try experimenting with additional flavors like cinnamon too. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 or 2 yellow to black plantains, peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
1 tablespoon oil
optional: sugar or brown sugar for extra caramelization

Directions

1. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. If using sugar, toss sliced plantains in sugar then place in pan.
2. Fry until plantains begin to turn golden brown, then flip. It should be about 2 minutes per side.
3. Drain plantains on a paper towel before serving.

Pulled Marinaded Chicken, Cajun Baked Potato/Plantains, and Garlic Bread

Holy Cow! That's one long title!

But I wanted to capture as much as I could about what this succulent dinner was all about. And do I mean succulent! The chicken turned out so moist, so juicy, so jam-packed full of flavor (even though it looks fairly bland) that succulent hardly begins to describe it.

And the garlic bread! Mmm light, savory garlic bread. The exact same kind that came with the Complete Veggie Dinner.

Paired with plantains (above) and cajun baked potato (below).

So follow along below to find out how to create succulent chicken yourself - a healthy poultry experience everyone will enjoy!