Vegan Chicken Style Tofu Fricassee (Fricase de Pollo)
Cuban fricase de pollo, meaning chicken fricassee, used to be one of my go-to meals on lazy Sunday afternoons. It was a recipe that we both enjoyed and was quick and easy to make. I don’t know a Cuban household that doesn’t have a version of this essential Spanish dish.
For a while, I toyed with the idea of creating a vegan version of this dish but I couldn’t decide what to use as my mock chicken. I’m a true lover of tofu but I didn’t think that the water-packed extra firm tofu would hold up in a stew-like dish.
On one fateful shopping trip, as I perused the vegan options in the produce section of Publix, I discovered the holy grail of all tofus. The tofu gods had heard my prayers and shown me the way to the wonders of pressed, super firm tofu. I didn’t think twice before tossing the small, bouncy package into my cart. I raced home to try this new and mysterious product because I really love new things. Little did I know, it would become one of my favorite vegan foods!
So, here, I present to you my vegan version of a quintessential Cuban dish – fricase de pollo.

Servings |
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- 16 ounces pressed super firm tofu, cubed into 1-inch cubes
- 1 small sour orange, juiced
- 2-3 tablespoon cilantro, minced
- 2-3 tablespoon parsley, minced
- 1/4 cup white cooking wine
- 1/4 cup vegan chick'n broth or any other kind of broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 small onions, diced or medium onion
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegan chick'n broth or any other kind of broth
- 10 spanish olives
- 1 culantro leaf (optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch cubes
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
Ingredients
Marinade
Fricassee
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- For marinade, combine all ingredients except tofu in a container of your choice.
- Toss the tofu and marinade mixture in a zip lock bag or container of choice to combine.
- Let marinade for at least 30 minutes. The longer, the better.
- Setting pressure cooker to the sear option, add the olive oil, onion, and bell pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes.
- Once the onion and bell pepper are translucent, add the tomato paste.
- Then stir in the marinated tofu, broth, Spanish olives, culantro, bay leaf, salt, and diced potato and carrots.
- Set pressure cooker for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes and once the pressure has been released from the pressure cooker valve, set it on sear again.
- Cook until the liquid has reduced to desired consistency, stirring occasional to avoid burning.
If not using an electric pressure cooker, use pot over medium heat.
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