As a busy mom and co-owner of Yummy Spoonfuls, Camila Alves knows having a go-to meal on hand is key. And for her, it happens to be a recipe that’s been passed down through generations of her family.
“Brazilian chicken stroganoff is a completely different dish than the stroganoff you get here or in Europe,” Alves tells PEOPLE. “I have never tasted a dish that I go, ‘Oh, that tasted like Brazilian chicken stroganoff.’ It’s kind of become a staple thing in my house and my kids love it just the same as I did growing up.”
Alves, who is married to actor Matthew McConaughey and mom to Levi, 9, Vida, 7, and Livingston, 4, says the dish is something her own mom used to make, calling it a “big feast” in their household.
“Now we’ll have it for lunch, for dinner, and then I’ll put it in the refrigerator and have it with toast in the morning for breakfast,” she says. “We cook a big batch of it and we eat for a couple days, really, then we put it in the freezer and have it when we crave for it.”
The recipe features marinated shredded chicken, corn, green olives, cream and potato sticks over white rice. “It’s very light but very flavorful and you get a sensation of all flavors in your mouth,” Alves says.
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While you may have tried stroganoff before, Alves is an expert on authenticity, saying, “If you get a Brazilian stroganoff and you have a lot of sauce, you’re in the wrong place. You’re in the wrong restaurant.”
Watch how it’s done in the video above, then follow the recipe below to make it yourself at home.
Camila Alves’ Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff
3 tbsp. oil
3 bone-in split chicken breasts with skin
1 tbsp. achiote paste (annatto seed)
2½ tsp. salt
6 cloves garlic smashed in a mortar and pestle or placed in a plastic bag and hit with a ladle
¼ red pepper, cut into thin strips
¼ cup packed chopped cilantro
1 white onion, diced
1 tomato, quartered
4 cups water, divided
1 bay leaf
1 cup of corn (frozen, fresh or canned)
⅓ cup sliced green olives
2 tbsp. Media Crema, Crema De Leche or half and half
Cooked rice, for serving
Potato sticks
1. Heat slow cooker on high, add oil, chicken skin side down, salt and achiote into slow cooker. Toss to coat chicken.
2. In a blender, add smashed garlic, red pepper, cilantro, diced onion, and tomato. Pour in 2 cups of water and blend well. Pour blended mixture over chicken in slow cooker and then add two more cups of water to slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for 4 hours.
4. Drain the chicken and vegetables, reserving all the broth.
5. Let chicken cool and pull/shred meat from the chicken breasts.
6. Return the meat to a large fry pan. Add corn, green olives and only the cream that rises to the top of the Media Creme, and some of the reserved chicken stock to reach your desired consistency.
7. Warm it up and serve with rice and top with potato sticks.