recipe
Strogonoff de frango: Brazilian chicken stroganoff
Browned chicken and button mushrooms in a creamy tomato sauce, with US heavy cream, a clear doneness check and rice and potato sticks for serving.
Rice and potato-stick sides are separate.
About 4 servings with rice (estimated)
Ingredients and method
About 4 servings with rice (estimated)
Planning estimate: 40–50 min · Moderate. Rice and potato-stick sides are separate.
Timing guide: Allow about 15 minutes to prepare the chicken and vegetables, 8–10 minutes for batch browning and another 15–20 minutes for the vegetables and sauce. Continue until the chicken reaches 165°F; cook rice separately.
Method
- Prepare the onion and mushrooms before handling the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season with the measured salt and pepper. Keep the raw chicken and its utensils separate from ready-to-eat food.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a deep 12-inch skillet or wide heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken in one layer; turn occasionally until lightly browned, roughly 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with another tablespoon oil and the remaining chicken. Browning does not need to cook the centers fully; continue immediately with the sauce.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the last tablespoon oil and the onion; stir until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and most of their released liquid evaporates, roughly 5–7 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and ketchup for about 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons water, scraping the browned coating from the pan. Leave any blackened, burnt residue behind rather than scraping it into the sauce.
- Lower the heat and stir in the cream. Return the chicken and its collected juices. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon and the chicken is fully cooked; begin checking after about 5 minutes and allow longer as needed.
- Insert an instant-read thermometer sideways into the centers of several of the largest chicken pieces. Each must reach at least 165°F (74°C). If the sauce thickens before the chicken is ready, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue gently simmering until the temperature is reached. Taste only after the chicken is safely cooked; adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve promptly alongside white rice, using a clean serving dish. Add the potato sticks at the table so they stay crisp.
A creamy Brazilian chicken dinner
Strogonoff de frango, also written estrogonofe de frango, pairs chicken with a creamy sauce and often arrives with rice and batata palha. Brazilian recipes differ in condiments and cream. This version uses fresh mushrooms, tomato paste, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce; it has no alcohol or flambé step.
Use chicken breast cubes of similar size. Small pieces can dry out while larger ones are still cooking, so the thermometer check matters more than a fixed simmering time. Allow roughly 40–50 minutes for preparation and cooking, plus any separate rice preparation. Follow the temperature cue even if the chicken takes longer.
Which cream to buy in the US
Buy a carton labeled heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, without sweeteners. The formula above is written for that product. Creme de leite is not one universal can-to-carton measurement: some Brazilian recipes specify fresh cream, while others use a shelf-stable cream.
US heavy cream has at least 36% milk fat; table cream is a different, lower-fat category. A can of table cream, half-and-half, sour cream and sweetened condensed milk will not all behave or taste alike in this sauce. Follow the specified heavy cream for this version rather than replacing it with an unspecified whole can.
Keep the sauce smooth and the topping crisp
A wide pan helps the chicken brown and gives mushroom moisture room to evaporate. If the pan is small, use more batches instead of piling up the meat. Finish with gentle bubbling; a hard boil can reduce the sauce before the chicken centers are ready.
Batata palha means very thin, crisp potato sticks here. Look for ready-to-eat potato sticks, not raw shredded potatoes or frozen shoestring fries. Keep their package dry and add them to individual servings. Arroz branco supplies a simple base for the sauce.
This recipe contains milk. Many Worcestershire sauces contain anchovies and therefore fish; some formulations also contain wheat or soy. Check the sauce, ketchup and potato-stick labels for your particular allergies.
Store and reheat
Transfer leftovers to shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours, or within one hour when the temperature is above 90°F. Keep at 40°F or below and use within 3–4 days. Store rice separately, following its own recipe’s storage instructions, and keep potato sticks out of the refrigerated sauce.
Reheat only the amount needed, stirring over gentle heat and adding a small splash of water if it is too thick. The chicken and sauce must reach 165°F throughout; gentle heating is a texture choice, not a reason to stop below that temperature.