Onion and garlic can be added to the giblets.
Portugal’s cuisine is eclectic and inspired by native ingredients from various other countries. This is the result of various explorers from Portugal bringing food from around the world from about the 17th century onwards. Common ingredients in Portuguese dishes include European, African, and Asian native foods and spices such as onions, garlic, rice, olives, cinnamon, and curry powder. A traditional Portuguese dish is cabidela, which is chicken or rabbit browned in oil and served in a lightly seasoned sauce. While traditional recipes for the dish often include hanging a freshly slaughtered chicken or rabbit upside down and using the animal’s drained blood as a base for the sauce, more modern versions of the recipe may use other liquids.
The main ingredient of the giblets is usually a whole chicken or a rabbit cut into pieces with the bones intact. Boneless steaks are not often used because they generally do not have the same amount of flavor and moisture as bone-in steaks. In addition to chicken or rabbit, other ingredients that can be used in the dish are onions, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves or bell peppers. Chicken broth, wine, or water can replace traditional animal blood as the liquid to make the sauce.
The preparation of the viscera usually begins by cooking the pieces of chicken or rabbit in oil on the stove until the outside is lightly browned, but the inside is not yet fully cooked. The inside of the chicken or rabbit will finish cooking in the liquid, but browning adds a richer flavor than cooking in the liquid alone. If onions, garlic, or other flavorings are used, the chicken or rabbit will be browned and removed from the pan, and then the flavorings will cook normally in the oil; this is due to the longer cooking time required for chicken or rabbit. Only enough of your preferred liquid ingredients are added to the pan to completely cover all ingredients. The dish is then covered with a lid to trap steam and add moisture to the dish.
There are variations to the traditional dish. Cabidela is also commonly served with white rice, or the rice can be added to the pan while the other ingredients cook in the liquid. This variation is known as arroz de cabidela. Other variations on the dish include substituting chicken or rabbit for pork or duck. For a different flavor, some recipes may call for the use of curry or cinnamon for an Indian-inspired flavor.