___ guisado (Caribbean stew)

POLLO

This hearty dish often features tender chicken simmered in a tomato-based sauce with olives and capers, popular in Puerto Rican cuisine.

This clue is asking for the Spanish word for "chicken," which fits into the blank before "guisado," meaning stew. In Caribbean cuisine, "pollo guisado" is a classic chicken stew dish, so the answer is simply "POLLO." The blank hints at a common protein used in the stew, and Spanish speakers would recognize the pairing right away.