Traditional pepián de pollo: the Guatemalan chicken stew in a sauce of toasted seeds, chiles and tomato

Pepián is the oldest of Guatemalan dishes, declared cultural heritage of the country in 2007. It comes from the Maya, who already thickened sauces with toasted, ground pumpkin seeds, and gained chicken, cinnamon and cilantro from the Spanish. Each region has its own: the one from Antigua, dark and thick, is the best known; the one from Chimaltenango has more chile; there is pepián of pork, of beef and even of turkey for feasts.

The sauce, the recado, is the soul of the dish and the part that takes work: pumpkin seeds (pepitoria) and sesame toasted until golden, dried chiles, tomato, tomatillo, onion and garlic charred on the griddle, cinnamon, cloves and cilantro, all blended with the chicken broth into a thick, dark brick-colored cream. It simmers over low heat until it thickens and the oil from the seeds appears.

The chicken, bone-in, cooks separately in broth and then finishes in the sauce with potato, green beans and sometimes chayote. It is served with white rice and hot corn tortillas, and there is no Guatemalan without a grandmother who makes the best one.

Recipe card

• Origin: Guatemala, Antigua and the central highlands
• Category: Main course, chicken stew
• Difficulty: Medium
• Prep time: 40 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Serves: 6

Ingredients — chicken and vegetables

• 1.5 kg bone-in chicken pieces
• 1.5 liters water
• 1 small onion and 2 garlic cloves for the broth
• 3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
• 200 g green beans, cut into pieces
• 1 chayote, cut into chunks (optional)
• Salt to taste

Ingredients — sauce (recado)

• 1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 3 dried guaque chiles (or guajillo), seeded
• 2 dried pasa chiles (or ancho), seeded
• 4 tomatoes
• 4 tomatillos (or 2 green tomatoes)
• 1 onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 toasted corn tortilla (to thicken, optional)

Method

1. Cook the chicken in the water with the onion, garlic and salt for 30 minutes. Add the potato, green beans and chayote and cook for 15 more minutes. Set the chicken and vegetables aside and strain the broth.
2. In a dry skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds and sesame over medium heat, stirring, until golden and popping. Set aside.
3. In the same skillet, toast the dried chiles for 30 seconds per side, without burning, and soak in hot water for 15 minutes.
4. Char the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic and bell pepper on a griddle or hot skillet, turning, until the skin is blackened in spots. Peel the garlic and remove the pepper skin.
5. Quickly toast the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and the tortilla, if using.
6. Blend the seeds, drained chiles, charred vegetables, spices, cilantro and tortilla with 2 cups of the chicken broth until smooth. Strain if you want it finer.
7. In a pot, heat the oil, pour in the sauce and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, for 20 minutes, until it thickens and darkens, adding broth to reach the consistency of a thick cream.
8. Return the chicken and vegetables to the sauce, adjust the salt and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with white rice and tortillas.

Tips and variations

• Toasting the seeds well is what gives the color and nutty flavor; raw seeds leave the sauce pale and dull.
• Guaque and pasa chiles are the Guatemalan ones; Mexican guajillo and ancho are exact substitutes.
• Pepián negro, darker, uses more toasted chiles and burnt tortilla.
• Pepián of beef or pork follows the same recipe with 1 more hour of cooking the meat.
• The sauce can be made the day before and is better the next day.
• Freezes well for 3 months.
• Serve with a slice of avocado and more cilantro on top.

Pepián is Guatemala in a sauce: toasted seeds, dried chiles and charred tomato, dark and deep, over chicken and potato. With a hot tortilla, it is Mayan history served on a plate.