Guatemalan Green Chicken Stew is more commonly known as chicken stew with tomatillos or “pollo en jocon.” Chicken is poached and then simmered in a beautiful green sauce made from tomatillos, cilantro, green peppers and onion.
It is a popular dish in Guatemala which is what led me to try it. I had never cooked with tomatillos before, nor had I ever thickened a stew with ground toasted seeds but I’m glad I did. This is a delicious tender chicken stew with fresh tangy flavors. It also happens to be healthy, low fat and gluten free.
Guatemalan green chicken stew is a perfect dish for casual entertaining, especially with the added excitement of the garnishes – scallions, avocado, lime wedges and corn tortillas. By the way, in Guatemala it’s common for corn tortillas to be served with every meal. Since early Mayan civilization, thousands of years ago, corn has been a very important crop in the region. In fact, the Mayan creation myth is that humankind was made from cornmeal dough.
I hope you had a happy holiday season and are enjoying the new year so far. For me a big part of the holidays is cooking and entertaining – two of my favorite activities. Now I have the added pleasure of sharing my favorite recipes with people outside of my inner circle of family and friends, through “Panning The Globe”.
Thank you for visiting. I’ve appreciated your comments and feedback. It’s been a challenging, fun and fascinating endeavor researching and developing recipes from different countries. I look forward to a new year of delicious discoveries! I hope you will stop by often to try some new recipes.
Here’s the recipe for Guatemalan Green Chicken Stew. If you try this recipe I hope you’ll come back to leave a comment and a rating. I’d love to know what you think!
PrintGuatemalan Green Chicken Stew: Pollo en Jocon
Delicious healthy chicken stew of tender shredded chicken in a fresh tangy tomatillo-cilantro sauce. Top with sliced avocado, chopped scallions and corn tortillas
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Stew
- Cuisine: Guatemalan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted (5–7 minutes in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat with constant tossing until lightly browned)
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted (2 minutes in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat with constant tossing until very lightly browned – remove from heat as soon as they start to color)
- 5 pounds skinless chicken breasts with bones
- 1 1/2 pounds of fresh tomatillos, husked (10-12) or 2 11-oz cans of tomatillos, drained
- 1 bunch of cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or other cooking oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 2 green peppers, seeds and ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
- Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- GARNISH:
- Corn tortillas to serve with stew (1 per person)
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 1 avocado, cubed or sliced
- 2 limes, sliced into wedges for squeezing on top
Instructions
- GRIND THE SEEDS: Put toasted pumpkin seeds and toasted sesame seeds into a blender and pulse on “puree” for 5 or 10 seconds, until they are ground. (You may need to stir a bit between pulses) Scrape into a small bowl or cup, and set aside. (no need to wash blender – you will use it again soon)
- POACH THE CHICKEN (AND TOMATILLOS, only if using fresh ones) : Put chicken and fresh tomatillos in a large pot with 9-10 cups of water (enough to just cover) and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Transfer chicken from broth to a large plate or bowl and set aside. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatillos to the blender. If using canned tomatillos, put them into the blender. Pour broth through a strainer into a large bowl and set aside. (you will need 4 cups of broth for the stew) Wipe out pot.
- PUREE TOMATILLOS AND CILANTRO: Add cilantro to the blender with the tomatillos and add 1 cup of the strained chicken broth. Puree for about 10-15 seconds. Pour the mixture into the pot. (keep blender out for one more use)
- SAUTE THE VEGETABLES: Add 3 tablespoons of oil to a large sauté pan and cook garlic, jalapeño, green pepper and onion over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until they start to brown. Scrape them into the blender. Add 1 cup of the strained broth and puree for 10-15 seconds. Pour into the pot with the tomatillos and cilantro. Add ground seeds to the pot and 2 more cups of the broth. (Remaining broth will not be needed but you might want to use it to make rice to accompany the stew) Bring contents of pot to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. Meanwhile, remove chicken from bones and shred (pull chicken apart using two forks. Refer to photo in BBQ Chicken Enchiladas) . Add shredded chicken to the thickened sauce along with salt and fresh pepper, to taste. Simmer gently for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve stew in deep bowls, over rice, with corn tortillas tucked in. Sprinkle with cubed avocado, green onions and lime juice. I suggest a simple green salad with citrus dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Erika
September 4, 2017 at 12:11 amSilly question…by green pepper are you referring to a green bell pepper? Or another type of green pepper?
Lisa
September 8, 2017 at 4:02 amBell pepper. Good point – I should specify that!
Dave K
May 8, 2016 at 7:43 pmThis is one of the most delicious dishes I have ever made, and I’ve made a lot. My wife and I absolutely loved the fresh flavors, the cilantro, the tomatillos… absolutely delicious. Even with all 3 jalapenos, we didn’t think it was too spicy at all. They added a great flavor. I made this on a Friday, and we just had it for Sunday dinner too. I will be making this again and again. I used a combination of boneless thighs and breasts. The broth was delicious and we saved it for another recipe! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Lisa
May 10, 2016 at 8:58 amThanks so much Dave! I’m so glad to hear it!
Mjen
October 22, 2014 at 10:09 pmuse good tortillas if possible, make in your own kitchen from corn masa or maseca
Mjen
October 22, 2014 at 10:07 pmMake every effort to have decent tortillas with this. In the states the best thing is to make them with corn masa or maseca. Most commercial ones are horrible.
anna peter
October 8, 2014 at 8:39 pmOh. My. Gosh. Soooooooo good. I only used one jalapeño, So it wasn’t too spicy. It was perfect. It made a lot, so perfect for a large group. I definitely will be sharing this recipe. Although, I lived in Guatemala for a fair amount of time and I’ve never seen it or heard of it before.
Thanks for sharing.
Lisa Goldfinger
October 9, 2014 at 7:51 pmThanks for commenting Anna! I’m glad you like it!! It’s one of my favorites to serve for a casual night with friends. 🙂
Serendipity
September 2, 2014 at 7:26 pmFantastic stew! Great meal that I can adjust the heat on for different tolerances in the family. Thanks for sharing this!
Laura
December 31, 2013 at 10:03 amOur family really enjoyed this! We only added one jalapeno, though. I added the seeds and it was just the right heat. The pumpkin and sesame seeds really added flavor to the dish! I added sour cream, cilantro with the avocado on top. I forgot to serve it over rice, I’ll do that next time. Such a delicious meal. I’d give it 4/5 stars. the kids say 5/5.
Hannah
December 6, 2013 at 5:09 pmThis recipe is lovely – probably my favorite of the typical recados of Guatemala. One small note, though: it’s called jocón, not jacon. And fun fact: in Guatemala tomatillos are called miltomates (not tomatillos like in Mexico). If you can find fresh ones, it’s definitely worth it to use them (although they are tedious to peel).
Buen Provecho!
Lisa Goldfinger
December 7, 2013 at 7:58 amThanks Hannah. I love this dish too! And I really appreciate the spelling correction – I fixed it. Lisa
Rachel
January 21, 2013 at 10:07 pmMade this tonight and it was so tasty–we will definitely be making this often as well!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
January 10, 2013 at 1:43 amMaking this tonight for our virtual travel around the globe night! 🙂
Lisa
January 12, 2013 at 7:39 amHi Maureen, I hope you enjoyed the stew. Your virtual travel around the globe night sounds like a lot of fun!
Michael
January 8, 2013 at 7:32 pmI also made this for my family tonight. So much flavor! Great instructions — came off without a hitch. Thanks Lisa
Jeanette
January 7, 2013 at 10:51 pmMade this for family and friends tonight and it was a HUGE hit! Thanks for a great dinner!!
Beverly
January 5, 2013 at 9:38 pmThis looks just wonderful! I plan on making it next week!
Carolyn
January 5, 2013 at 3:44 pmI will be making this soon. Sounds great after all the heavy and rich holiday food!!