Clean chicken with cold water and white vinegar or lemon juice. Remove skin and any excess fat.
Season the chicken with all of the spices. *See notes for pressure cooker method.
Add oil to a large pot over medium high heat. Add sugar and allow it to brown.
Add chicken and brown on all sides. Allow the chicken to turk dark brown but be careful not to burn. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Add sofrito, garlic, chicken bouillon, tomato sauce and hot sauce, if using. Cook until it becomes fragrant.
Add the chicken, vegetables, olives, and enough water to cover the chicken fully. Stir the pot and bring to a boil.
Add bay leaves, cilantro and culantro.
Cover the pot, set the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes until the chicken and vegetables are tender.
Remove the aromatics. Taste the sauce, and adjust seasoning as necessary. I like to add a splash of lime juice at this point to enhance the flavor. If the sauce is too runny, crank up the heat and allow it to reduce a bit. You can also thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water).
Serve and enjoy. ¡Buen provecho!