Pepián de Pollo
Guatemala's ancient national dish: chicken in a thick, nutty sauce of charred vegetables, toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds, and dried chilies.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Sesame. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 tomatillo
- 2 dried pasilla chilies, 1 dried guajillo chili, soaked
- 1 onion, quartered, 3 cloves garlic
- 1 corn tortilla, torn
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 cups chicken stock
- Salt, to taste
- Rice and corn tortillas, to serve
Steps
- Simmer chicken in stock until cooked through; reserve the stock and set the chicken aside.
- Char the tomatoes, tomatillo, onion, and garlic on a dry comal or under a broiler until blackened in spots.
- Toast pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds separately in a dry pan until fragrant and starting to pop.
- Toast the soaked chilies and tortilla briefly in the same pan.
- Blend the charred vegetables, toasted seeds, chilies, tortilla, and cinnamon with some of the reserved stock until smooth.
- Strain the sauce into a pot, add the remaining stock, and simmer 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the cooked chicken back in, simmer 10 minutes to combine. Season with salt and serve with rice and tortillas.