Pepián de pollo is Guatemala’s deeply flavored chicken stew, built from roasted tomatoes, chiles, seeds, and spices blended into a velvety sauce.
Roasting the vegetables and seeds first gives the sauce its dark, complex flavor, while a gentle simmer keeps the chicken tender.
Toast the seeds carefully and stir constantly; they can turn bitter quickly once they begin to brown.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with white rice, warm corn tortillas, avocado, and a little fresh cilantro.
Recipe Notes
The sauce thickens as it cools. Add a splash of chicken stock when reheating leftovers, which keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Guatemalan Pepián de Pollo
Tender chicken simmered in a roasted tomato, chile, sesame, pumpkin seed, and spice sauce.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven
- Cast-iron skillet
- Blender
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Tongs
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs skin removed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 cups chicken stock
Pepián sauce
- 6 medium tomatoes halved
- 2 tomatillos husked
- 1/2 medium yellow onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 dried ancho chile stemmed and seeded
- 1 dried guajillo chile stemmed and seeded
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup pepitas raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 corn tortilla torn into pieces
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp annatto ground
Instructions
Roast and blend:
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chiles on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
- Toast the sesame seeds, pepitas, and tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Watch the seeds closely.
- Blend the roasted vegetables, toasted seeds, tortilla, cumin, cinnamon, annatto, and 1 cup of stock until smooth. Strain the sauce.
Cook the chicken:
- Season the chicken with salt. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the chicken on both sides.
- Pour in the strained sauce and remaining stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 35 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the chicken with plenty of sauce, rice, and warm tortillas.
Notes
- Straining the blended sauce gives pepián its characteristic smooth texture.
- Add a little stock if the sauce becomes thicker than you like during the simmer.
Nutrition
Calories: 590kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 46gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 170mgSodium: 980mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10g