Name: Gallina guisada — San Estanislao stewed hen
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 1.6 kg bone-in stewing hen pieces, commercially cleaned and patted dry; 8 g fine salt; 1 g ground allspice; 1 g ground black pepper; 2 g ground achiote; 300 g ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped; 150 g red onion, finely chopped; 100 g scallions, finely chopped, white and green parts separated; 80 g mild fresh sweet ají, finely chopped; 15 g garlic, minced; 700 ml hot water, plus extra as needed; 15 ml neutral oil, optional only if the hen is very lean; 600 g cooked white rice or white coconut rice, optional and not included in the nutrition estimate

Wide coastal table with stewed hen in reduced red guiso beside white rice.

Region San Estanislao de Kostka, Bolívar, in Colombia’s Caribbean region

Category Everyday poultry main dish; stewed hen

Yield 4 servings

Prep time About 25 minutes

Active time About 35 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Gallina guisada — San Estanislao stewed hen

Bone-in hen simmered in a thick tomato, scallion, sweet ají and achiote guiso

In San Estanislao de Kostka, Bolívar, gallina guisada is documented as an everyday main dish associated with cook Silvia Rosa Jiménez. Its defining method is straightforward: the hen sweats briefly with tomato, red and green onion, sweet ají, garlic, achiote and peppers before water is added to soften the pieces. The cooking liquid is then reduced until it becomes a generous, spoon-coating guiso. This version follows that sequence and keeps the local ingredient profile intact.

The source recipe gives household ingredients and a method, but no weights or clock times. The quantities below are a measured four-serving adaptation using commercially cleaned, bone-in stewing hen pieces. An adult hen needs a slow simmer and may take longer than the estimate; the meat should be tender and the thickest pieces must reach 74°C. A younger chicken can finish sooner, so check tenderness and temperature instead of relying on time alone.

Serve the hen with the thick guiso spooned over it. The local cookbook suggests arroz de manteca or white coconut rice; this recipe leaves the rice optional and outside the nutrition estimate. Another well-known Cartagena preparation adds potatoes, carrots, green beans, tomato paste and coconut milk, but that is a separate regional variation and is not mixed into this San Estanislao version.

Ingredients

Hen and seasoning

1.6 kg bone-in stewing hen pieces, commercially cleaned and patted dry
8 g fine salt
1 g ground allspice
1 g ground black pepper
2 g ground achiote

Fresh guiso

300 g ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
150 g red onion, finely chopped
100 g scallions, finely chopped, white and green parts separated
80 g mild fresh sweet ají, finely chopped
15 g garlic, minced
700 ml hot water, plus extra as needed
15 ml neutral oil, optional only if the hen is very lean

To serve

600 g cooked white rice or white coconut rice, optional and not included in the nutrition estimate

Method

Prepare the poultry safely Keep the hen refrigerated until you are ready to cook. Do not rinse raw poultry; pat the pieces dry with paper towels and discard them. Use a separate board and utensils, then wash your hands and clean the work surface. Season the pieces with salt, allspice, black pepper and achiote.
Chop the guiso ingredients Peel and seed the tomatoes, then chop them. Finely chop the red onion, sweet ají and scallions, keeping the scallion greens separate for the end. Mince the garlic. Cutting the vegetables evenly helps them soften into the sauce rather than leaving large, firm pieces.
Sweat the hen with the vegetables Place the hen, tomatoes, red onion, scallion whites, sweet ají, garlic and seasoning in a heavy caldero or Dutch oven. Add the optional oil only if the bird is particularly lean. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, turning the pieces once or twice, until the vegetables release moisture and smell fragrant. Keep the heat gentle; the mixture should sweat, not scorch or fry hard.
Add water and simmer slowly Pour in 700 ml hot water and stir once to loosen the guiso from the base. Cover the pot and bring it just to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 75–90 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally. Add a little more hot water if the pot looks dry before the hen softens. A mature or tougher bird may need another 20–40 minutes; use tenderness and a thermometer rather than the clock as the final guide.
Check safety and tenderness Measure the thickest parts of several pieces without touching bone. Each checked piece must reach at least 74°C. Continue simmering if the meat is still firm even after reaching temperature; the hen should be tender enough to pull easily from the bone while still holding its shape. If using younger chicken instead, begin checking earlier because it can become tender much sooner.
Reduce the guiso Uncover the pot and simmer for 10–15 minutes, turning the hen so the sauce coats the pieces. The liquid should reduce to a thick, glossy guiso that clings to a spoon, with visible tomato, onion and scallion. Stir in the scallion greens near the end. Taste and adjust the salt; add a splash of hot water if the sauce tightens before serving.
Serve and store Serve hot, spooning the guiso over the hen. Offer white rice or white coconut rice if desired. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within two hours and use within 3–4 days. Reheat until the thickest piece and sauce reach 74°C throughout.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

These rounded estimates use generic dark-meat poultry and the measured vegetables and seasonings, with the optional oil included. Bone yield, skin, rendered fat, bird size and sauce reduction change the edible portion and final values.

Practical guidance

Choose the right bird. Bone-in stewing hen gives the long-simmered texture associated with gallina guisada. If using younger chicken, shorten the simmer and check it earlier; chicken pieces can soften well before a mature hen. In either case, poultry safety depends on reaching 74°C, while tenderness determines when the stew is ready to serve. Let the guiso reduce gently. Keep the pot covered while the hen softens so it does not dry out. Uncover only near the end to thicken the sauce. If it becomes too thick, loosen it with a little hot water; if it remains thin, simmer uncovered a few minutes longer. Keep the regional variations distinct. This San Estanislao recipe uses tomato, red and green onion, sweet ají, garlic, achiote and peppers. A separate Cartagena recipe includes coconut milk and vegetables such as potato, carrot and green beans. Those ingredients are not part of this version. Allergens and safety. The base recipe contains no major top-allergen ingredients, though packaged spices and cross-contact can vary. Keep raw poultry refrigerated and separate, do not rinse it, and cook the thickest pieces to at least 74°C. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and reheat to 74°C throughout.

Final notes

Remember 1: Let the hen soften slowly in the seasoned guiso before reducing the sauce. Remember 2: Check several thick pieces and serve only after they reach 74°C and are tender.

Nutrition per serving

Serving basis: One quarter of the hen and guiso; optional rice excluded
Calories: About 430 kcal
Carbohydrate: About 12 g
Protein: About 43 g
Fat: About 24 g
Fibre: About 3 g
Sodium: About 760 mg

Gallina guisada — San Estanislao stewed hen

Ingredients

Hen and seasoning

Fresh guiso

To serve

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

Viuda de pescado — bocachico and cassava with broth

Bagre estopiao — Mompox salted catfish with eggs

Bocachicos rellenos asados al carbón — Mompox charcoal-grilled stuffed fish