Dominican Fried Chicken (Pica Pollo)
Chicken pieces marinated in sour orange, garlic and oregano, then double-fried until the crust is deeply golden and shatteringly crisp. The classic Dominican fast-food plate, served with fries, salad and pickled onion.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cut and dry the chicken
Cut the chicken into pieces if your butcher hasn't already, trimming any loose fat. Pat every piece completely dry with paper towels; this helps the marinade and the crust stick properly later.
- 1.2 kg chicken pieces
✅ Done when: the chicken pieces feel dry to the touch, not wet or slippery
Marinate
In a large bowl, mix the garlic paste, sour orange juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn the pieces to coat them well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight; this is what gives its deep flavor all the way to the bone.
- 1.2 kg chicken (from step 1)
- 80 ml sour orange juice
- 8 cloves garlic paste
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: the chicken has sat in the marinade for at least 2 hours and smells fragrant with garlic and citrus
Coat in seasoned flour
Mix the flour, cornstarch and baking powder in a wide dish; the cornstarch and baking powder are what give the crust its light, craggy crunch instead of a thick, doughy coating. Lift each piece of chicken straight from the marinade, letting excess drip off, and press it into the flour mixture on all sides, then shake off any loose flour.
- 250 g flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
✅ Done when: each piece is evenly covered with a thin, dry layer of flour with no wet patches showing through
First fry: cook through
Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot and heat to 160°C (320°F). Fry the chicken in batches, without crowding the pot, for 12–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through but only pale golden. Lift out onto a wire rack.
- 500 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: the chicken is pale golden and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece reads at least 74°C (165°F)
Let it rest
Leave the fried chicken on the rack for about 5 minutes while the oil comes back up to temperature. This short rest lets the juices settle and the coating firm up, so it crisps up better on the second fry instead of going soft.
✅ Done when: the surface of the chicken feels set and no longer looks shiny with oil
Second fry: crisp it up
Raise the oil to 190°C (375°F) and fry the chicken again, in batches, for 3–4 minutes, until deeply golden brown and audibly crackly. This quick, hotter second fry is the real secret of : it drives out any last moisture and locks in a hard, crisp shell. Drain on a fresh rack or paper towels.
- 500 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: the crust is deep golden brown and sounds crisp and crackly when tapped with a spoon
Serve
Serve the chicken hot, piled onto a plate with French fries, a simple tomato and lettuce salad, pickled red onion and ketchup, with lime wedges on the side. Eat it right away, while the crust is still at its crispest.
- to serve French fries
- to serve salad
- to serve pickled onion
- to serve ketchup and lime wedges
Cut and dry the chicken
Cut the chicken into pieces if your butcher hasn't already, trimming any loose fat. Pat every piece completely dry with paper towels; this helps the marinade and the crust stick properly later.
- 1.2 kg chicken pieces
✅ Done when: the chicken pieces feel dry to the touch, not wet or slippery
Marinate
In a large bowl, mix the garlic paste, sour orange juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn the pieces to coat them well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight; this is what gives its deep flavor all the way to the bone.
- 1.2 kg chicken (from step 1)
- 80 ml sour orange juice
- 8 cloves garlic paste
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: the chicken has sat in the marinade for at least 2 hours and smells fragrant with garlic and citrus
Coat in seasoned flour
Mix the flour, cornstarch and baking powder in a wide dish; the cornstarch and baking powder are what give the crust its light, craggy crunch instead of a thick, doughy coating. Lift each piece of chicken straight from the marinade, letting excess drip off, and press it into the flour mixture on all sides, then shake off any loose flour.
- 250 g flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
✅ Done when: each piece is evenly covered with a thin, dry layer of flour with no wet patches showing through
First fry: cook through
Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot and heat to 160°C (320°F). Fry the chicken in batches, without crowding the pot, for 12–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through but only pale golden. Lift out onto a wire rack.
- 500 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: the chicken is pale golden and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece reads at least 74°C (165°F)
Let it rest
Leave the fried chicken on the rack for about 5 minutes while the oil comes back up to temperature. This short rest lets the juices settle and the coating firm up, so it crisps up better on the second fry instead of going soft.
✅ Done when: the surface of the chicken feels set and no longer looks shiny with oil
Second fry: crisp it up
Raise the oil to 190°C (375°F) and fry the chicken again, in batches, for 3–4 minutes, until deeply golden brown and audibly crackly. This quick, hotter second fry is the real secret of : it drives out any last moisture and locks in a hard, crisp shell. Drain on a fresh rack or paper towels.
- 500 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: the crust is deep golden brown and sounds crisp and crackly when tapped with a spoon
Serve
Serve the chicken hot, piled onto a plate with French fries, a simple tomato and lettuce salad, pickled red onion and ketchup, with lime wedges on the side. Eat it right away, while the crust is still at its crispest.
- to serve French fries
- to serve salad
- to serve pickled onion
- to serve ketchup and lime wedges
The Story Behind the Dish
Pica pollo grew up alongside the small roadside stands and corner shops of Dominican towns and cities, where a hot plate of fried chicken, fries and salad became the everyday answer to 'what's for dinner tonight.' The citrus-garlic marinade echoes the sour orange used across Dominican cooking, while the double fry owes something to the island's long love of crisp, well-seasoned fried foods.
Today pica pollo shops, often simply called 'pica pollos,' are found on nearly every block, from Santo Domingo to small towns inland, each with its own version of the marinade and its own regulars who swear by it.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is the Dominican Republic's own answer to fast-food fried chicken: deeply seasoned, double-fried for maximum crunch, and always served with fries, salad and pickled onion rather than biscuits or gravy.
💡 Fun Fact
The name combines 'picar' (to chop) and 'pollo' (chicken), a reference to how the chicken is cut into small pieces before it's marinated and fried.
Dominican Republic, nationwide
18.49°N, -69.93°W
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