Pollo con Wasakaka - Recipe (Roasted Chicken & Garlic Sauce)

Pollo con Wasakaka - Recipe (Dominican Roasted Chicken with Garlic Sauce): a delicious, juicy chicken roast with flavorful garlic sauce.

Course Breakfast, Dinner

Cuisine Dominican, Latino

Keyword chicken roast recipe, dominican pollo horneado, pollo con guasacaca

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Total Time 31 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 441kcal

Author Clara Gonzalez

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken (or 2 doz. drumsticks)
½ bitter orange (or 1 lime)
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground pepper
1 teaspoon of oregano
¼ cup of oil for frying

For the wasakaka

½ cup of bitter orange or lime juice
¼ cup of olive oil
2 sprigs of curly parsley , chopped (approx. 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
1 cup of water
½ teaspoon of salt , or more to taste
¼ teaspoon of pepper , or more to taste

Instructions

Roasting the chicken

Pre-heat the oven at 300°F (150°C).
Scrub chicken with bitter orange or lime inside and out, then season with salt, pepper and oregano inside and out.
Brush with oil to keep the skin from drying too much.

If you are roasting a whole chicken

Cover the tip of the wings and thighs with foil to prevent them from burning.
Use cooking twine to tie the thighs together, do the same with the wings to keep them flat against the breasts.
Roast at 300°F [150°C] for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil and turn up heat to 450°F [230°C] the last fifteen minutes.
Chicken should be golden brown and skin should be crispy. I suggest you use a thermometer to check for doneness, or pinch on the inside of the thigh, the juices should run clear (no hint of blood).

If you are roasting drumsticks

Roast at 300°F [150°C] for 25 minutes, or until skin is crispy and golden brown.

Making the sauce

Mix with the bitter orange juice (or lime), olive oil, parsley, garlic and water.
Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let it rest until it cools to room temperature.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve sauce alongside the chicken.

Notes

As I mentioned above, this dish is usually bought at a local restaurant. Their recipe is not common knowledge, but I can make an educated guess as to its ingredients and preparation. The chicken at the restaurants is prepared over a charcoal fire, in this recipe we give you an option that can be prepared using a regular oven.

The sauce is best served at room temperature.

Needless to say that this is definitely not the exact sauce like the one from the above-mentioned restaurant, it's a decent approximation at best, and a darn-tasty adaptation at worst. I leave it to you to decide.

This dish is usually served with some boiled yuca, or some tostones, but I found that my guests had no complaints about my choice to go with some tasty oven-fried potatoes with spices (they are not really fried). Some fresh salad finishes this nicely.

You need to use a roasting tray with rack (Amazon affiliate link) or else the bottom of the chicken will just boil in its own juices.

Nutrition