Puerto Rican FoodStuffed Chicken Breast Roll with Alcaparrado and Sweet Plantains in a Light Coconut-Recao Sauce
An original Puerto Rican recipe featuring butterflied chicken breasts rolled around a savory filling of ripe sweet plantains, alcaparrado, sofrito, and queso del país, then baked and served with a light coconut, recao, and garlic sauce. The result is juicy, aromatic, and deeply Caribbean, perfect for a special meal.
Ingredients
- 4 unidades / 680 g g boneless skinless chicken breasts (abiertas en mariposa and lightly flattened)
- 1 unidad grande / 220 g g ripe sweet plantain (pelado and diced small)
- 60 ml ml Puerto Rican sofrito (divided)
- 45 g g alcaparrado olive-caper mix (chopped grueso)
- 100 g g Puerto Rican white cheese (grated or desmenuzado)
- 12 g g garlic (chopped, divided)
- 15 g g fresh culantro (chopped, divided)
- 240 ml ml coconut milk (without sugar)
- 120 ml ml chicken broth (low sodium preferiblemente)
- 100 g g white onion (finely chopped, divided)
- 30 ml ml olive oil (divided)
- 2 g g dried oregano
- 1 g g ground cumin
- 1 g g black pepper (divided)
- 6 g g salt (or to taste, divided)
- 15 ml ml lemon juice
- 1 unit toothpicks or kitchen twine (for asegurar the rollos)
Nutrition facts
per serving
Approximate nutritional information. Estimated from the recipe’s ingredients and amounts, using standard reference nutrition values. It may vary with brands, sizes and cooking method. For guidance only; not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.
Allergens
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400 °F / 200 °C. Lightly grease a baking dish with a little of the olive oil.
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced ripe plantain and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly golden and softened.
- 3
Add half of the onion, 2 tablespoons of the sofrito, half of the garlic, the alcaparrado, oregano, cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring well.
- 4
Remove the skillet from the heat and mix the filling with the queso del país and half of the chopped culantro. Let it cool for 5 minutes so it is easier to stuff the chicken.
- 5
Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the lemon juice, the remaining salt, and the remaining pepper.
- 6
Place a portion of the filling over each opened chicken breast. Roll each one carefully and secure with toothpicks or kitchen twine.
- 7
Arrange the chicken rolls in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of sofrito over the top.
- 8
Bake for 25 to 28 minutes at 400 °F / 200 °C, or until the chicken is fully cooked and the center reaches a safe internal temperature.
- 9
While the chicken bakes, make the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the coconut milk, chicken broth, the remaining onion, and the remaining garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
- 10
Add the remaining chopped culantro to the sauce and cook 2 minutes more, stirring. Taste and adjust with an extra pinch of salt if needed.
- 11
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the toothpicks or kitchen twine.
- 12
Serve each stuffed chicken roll with the light coconut-culantro sauce spooned over the top. If desired, pour some of the pan juices over the dish for extra flavor.
Chef tips
For clean slices, let the rolls rest before cutting. If the plantain is very ripe, it will caramelize better and create a delicious contrast with the briny alcaparrado.
Substitutions
You can substitute queso del país with low-moisture mozzarella or firm fresh cheese. If you cannot find culantro, use cilantro, though the flavor will be less traditional. Alcaparrado can be replaced with chopped green olives and capers.
What I used to make it
Generic kitchen tools that work for this recipe. You don’t need to buy anything to make it.
Illustrative imageCosori Pro LE 5 Qt Air Fryer
Browning and baking with little oil
- Browns food with very little oil
- Handy for vegetables, chicken and reheating
- Check the basket capacity
Illustrative imageTempPro TP19H Digital Thermometer
Checking doneness of meat and chicken
- Checks doneness of meat and chicken
- Quick reading
- Clean the probe after each use
Illustrative imageT-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized 12" Non-Stick Pan
Eggs, omelets and stir-fries
- Eggs and omelets that don’t stick
- Comfortable, sturdy handle
- Use wooden or silicone utensils
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