If you’re looking for a hearty family meal that’s mouthwateringly delicious and a breeze to put together, you need to make these savory Chuletas Guisadas! I grew up eating this dish of unctuous stewed pork chops in Puerto Rico, where my Abuela would serve it at least once a week. It comes together in under thirty minutes, and as it stews, the fragrance is so overwhelmingly good everyone in your home will ask what’s cooking! (For real.)
What Are Chuletas Guisadas?
Chuletas Guisadas is a popular Latin American dish of pork chops, onions, and peppers stewed in a flavorful tomato-based sauce. Every region has its own take on the dish, and this is the recipe my grandmother would make at least once a week. Some people don’t put olives in their Chuletas Guisadas, but my Abuela did, so that’s how I make it. I love mine served over Puerto Rican Rice And Beans with slices of ripe plantain. You can also pair it with a side salad or slices of ripe avocado.
What Are The Ingredients For Chuletas Guisadas?
My favorite thing about this dish is that the end result is much greater than its parts. But, of course, every Latin family has their version, and the ingredients vary by where you grew up. With that being said, this is what you need to make my version of Chuletas Guisadas:
- Pork chops – How quickly the dish cooks depends on the thickness of your pork chops. I prefer thinly cut chops because they’re cheaper and cook faster. But you do you.
- Sofrito – This robust flavor base adds complexity to every dish.
- Tomato Sauce and Chicken Broth – are the foundation of your sauce.
- Onions, Peppers, and Garlic – Add bulk to your dish and help flavor the sauce.
- Vinegar and Olives– Add a briny brightness that helps cut through the fattiness of the pork.
- Adobo, Sazón, Oregano, and Bay Leaf – these spices quickly build layers of flavor in your sauce and pork chops.
Tips For Making Chuletas Guisadas
- Cut the vegetables the same size so that they cook evenly. If the vegetables are sliced in different sizes, some will be overcooked, and some undercooked.
- Keep the pan covered. It traps the moisture, which helps cook the meat evenly and keeps it moist and tender.
- Don’t overcook the pork chops. Even though they are in a sauce, they will end up tough and dry. The general rule is 7 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness.
What Sides Go Well With Chuletas Guisadas?
I love gobbling this dish down with Puerto Rican Rice And Beans and fried slices of sweet plantain. Of course, you can always serve it with a Simple Side Salad or slices of ripe avocado. And you can even try it layered over Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes. OMG. I want that right now!!!
How To Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to three months. To reheat frozen Chuletas Guisadas, thaw them in the fridge overnight. Then, warm them in a skillet over medium heat until steaming. When you reheat the pork chops, add a little chicken broth to the skillet to prevent them from drying out.
Chuletas Guisadas (Puerto Rican Stewed Pork Chops)
Servings 4 servingsIngredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.12)
- 2 lbs thinly cut pork chops, bone-in ($9.98)
- 2 tsp adobo* ($0.08)
- 6 Tbsp sofrito ($1.08)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic ($0.14)
- 8 oz tomato sauce ($0.59)
- 1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar ($0.04)
- 1 1/2 tsp sazón* (1 packet) ($0.17)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.24)
- 1/4 cup Pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced* ($0.33)
- 2 tsp oregano ($0.20)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.10)
- 1 onion, sliced in 1/4 inch half moons ($0.42)
- 1 bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips ($1.59)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves ($0.27)
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large saute pan and set it over medium-high heat. Mix adobo with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and rub the pork chops with the mixture. Sear pork chops in batches. Sear on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side.
- Remove the pork chops from the pan, and set aside. Add the sofrito and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, and sazón and saute until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, olives, oregano, and bay leaf, and stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce by one-quarter.
- Add the pork chops back to the pan, cover, and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until pork chops are tender, about 7 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness.
- Add onion and bell pepper, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in cilantro leaves. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over white rice and enjoy your new favorite weeknight dish!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric *A packet of sazón contains about 1.5 teaspoons of sazón. If you cannot source sazón use the following: 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/3 teaspoon ground annatto
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground oregano *Pimento-stuffed green olives are also known as or Manzanilla Olives.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Chuletas Guisadas – Step by Step Photos
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large saute pan and set it over medium-high heat. Mix 2 teaspoons of adobo with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and rub the pork chops with the mixture. Sear the 2 pounds of pork chops in batches. Sear on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side.
Remove the pork chops from the pan, and set aside. Add 1/3 cup of sofrito and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic to the pork chop drippings and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the 8 ounces of tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of sazón to the pan. Sauté until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth, 1/4 cup of pimento-stuffed olives, 2 teaspoons of oregano, and 1 bay leaf to the pan and stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce by one-quarter.
Add the pork chops back to the pan, cover, and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until pork chops are tender, about 7 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness.
Add 1 onion (sliced in 1/4 inch half moons) and 1 bell pepper (sliced into 1/4-inch strips) to the pan. Cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over white rice and enjoy your new favorite weeknight dish!
Delicious! I like that it includes protein, carbs, and vegetables in one meal.
Made a couple modifications to lower the sodium for my dietary restrictions:
Used half as much (low sodium) adobo.
Unsalted broth.
Omitted olives (so sad, I love olives)
Replaced tomato sauce with canned crushed tomato plus 1/2tsp each garlic and onion powder.
(Sazon is delicious and low sodium thanks to using MSG! Hooray for Sazon!)
I marinated the pork chops for a few hours with the sofrito, olive oil, and vinegar before cooking. Lots of flavor in the sauce, though, so definitely optional!
I overcooked my boneless pork loin chops and I still loved everything about this dish. I can’t wait to try again. This will probably become a monthly rotation. yum!
Very very good, EASY to make, and versatile.
Done mine with country style ribs and it was absolutely mouth water delicious!
Thanks!
oooooooh!!! that gave me goosebumps!!
This was great! First Puerto Rican food I have ever cooked.
I used a pre-made softirito from Food4Less and left out the bell pepper because my wife does not like them.
But we loved it. I could just drink the sauce.
This recipe was AMAZING. Followed it to a T. when you taste it from the pan, it’s a bit salty so I added a bunch of pepper and the cilantro and white rice help to de-salt it. Don’t worry it will not be too salty with the rice. HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE RECIPE IN THIS SITE. THANK YOU!!!!
Holy ish Dev!! Thank you so much!! xoxo -Monti
Gotta try this. It looks maw-velous. Questions though: Is it okay to use boneless pork chops? Also, I love spicy but not hot. Since I’m not familiar with sazon (and, in the link, the label is in Spanish which, unfortunately, I’m not very fluent), I didn’t know if it would be spicy or spicy hot. Thanks.
Hi Betsey, you can use boneless chops if you prefer but just keep in mind that they generally cook faster than bone-in chops (depending on the thickness you get). The sazon is not spicy and the recipe as a whole was not spicy, just very very delicious. :)
This looks amazing and not like anything I would come up with on my own! Just wanted to comment that I love the new recipes from Monti. Bookmarked to try this week.
Kiara, thank you so much!! I hope you love it! xoxo -Monti