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.
This 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, dairy free 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.
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Guatemalan Green Chicken Stew: Pollo en Jocon
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
Description
Delicious healthy chicken stew of tender shredded chicken in a fresh tangy tomatillo-cilantro sauce. Top with sliced avocado, chopped scallions and corn tortillas
Ingredients
- ½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (toast for 5-7 minutes in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat with constant tossing until lightly browned)
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (toast for 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 bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
- 1 ½ 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
- Garnishes:
- 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
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Instructions
- Put the toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds in a blender and pulse for 5 or 10 seconds, until finely ground. (You may need to stir a bit between pulses) Scrape them into a small bowl and set aside. No need to wash blender - you will use it again soon.
- Put chicken and fresh tomatillos in a large pot with 2 teaspoons of salt and 9-10 cups of water, or enough to just cover them. (If using canned tomatillos, don't add them to the pot. They'll be used later). Bring to a boil, lower to a very gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a plate and scoop tomatillos into the blender. If using canned tomatillos, put them into the blender. Pour the broth through a strainer set over a large bowl. (you will need 4 cups of broth for the stew) Wipe out pot.
- Add cilantro to the blender along with 1 cup of the strained chicken broth. Puree for 10-15 seconds. Pour the mixture into the pot. (keep blender out for one more use)
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in 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 more cup of strained broth and puree for 10-15 seconds. Pour mixture into the pot with the tomatillos and cilantro. Add the ground seeds to the pot and 2 more cups of strained 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 it. (pull chicken apart using two forks. Refer to photo in BBQ Chicken Enchiladas). Add shredded chicken to pot along with salt and fresh pepper, to taste. Simmer gently for an additional 5-10 minutes, until heated through.
- 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!
Notes
Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Stew
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Guatemalan
I visited Guatamala last year and frequented La Casa de las Sopas in Antigua where i was introduced to this soup....and wow, this recipe is spot on! I have made it a handful of times and each time it gets easier 🙂 and it gets better and better. Thank you so much for the recipe, absolutely delish!
We absolutely love the recipe. We live in Guatemala and can't wait to try it out on some of our friends here.
I live in Guatemala. First time I have made this and it not only was perfect but very fun to make! The suggestion for a salad with citrus would go very well with this dish! enjoy!
Delicious flavors but the “stew” was very dry .. it seemed to me the liquid measurements didn’t make it “stewy” enough. 4 cups of broth to five pounds of chicken meat wasn’t adequate for stew.
Hi Marian - I'm sorry it was dry. I wonder if my directions were unclear. The recipe calls for 5 pounds of "bone-in" chicken which is only about 3 pounds of meat. If you used 5 pounds of boneless chicken, that would explain why the stew ended up dry.
This recipe is awesome!!!! This is a keeper!
All my family loved it ❣️
Thank you so much!
Delicious and flavorful. We only used 2 chicken breasts and that was plenty. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Lisa!
Thank you so much for the recipe.
I'm from Costa Rica, and I'll travel in june to Guatemala and definetly we'll try this dish, sounds super yummy.
Again, thanks.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I'm curious, for the nutrition information, does it include the corn tortillas, rice, and avocado topping? Or is it just the chicken stew? Thanks in advance!
Hi Silvia, I included the corn tortillas (1 per person) and the avocado in the calculation. I didn't include rice. I hope you enjoy!
(1) It’s a lot of chicken for one person, but I’m sure it freezes well (I’ll buy skin-on and save the skins to make gribenes, Jewish chicharrones). (2) I like it very hot, so those jalapeños won’t be deseeded OR deribbed. (3) I had trouble digesting green bell peppers when I was younger but, just as with MSG, I outgrew those problems. (4) I love using the ground toasted seeds for thickening (and flavor). (5) I adore tomatillos and cilantro! Remember to use the cilantro stems, too! (6)I might spike the poaching water with some chicken broth, and the bones will contribute to a rich stock. (7) Are bay leaves a good addition here or will they alter the stock’s flavor profile? (8) One commenter mentioned adding sour cream; I am very tempted to do so. (9) Instead of using corn tortillas, I’ll cut them into strips and fry in corn oil (or chicken fat) until crunchy. They’ll make great toppers, along with the crumbled gribenes, diced avocado, chopped green onions, and lime wedges. (10) I CANNOT WAIT TO MAKE THIS AMAZING RECIPE!
Hi Hollis, I love all of your notes on this recipe! I can't wait to hear your review once you cook this. Thanks so much for your detailed comment and star rating.
Excellent recipe!
Hello, I have chicken thighs in my fridge can I use them instead of the breast?
Hi Patricia. Yes, absolutely. Chicken thighs are so delicious, I'm sure the stew will be great!
Thank you Lisa for your prompt reply. I will make it tonight????
Just made this, absolutely incredible. I probably would make it for a larger group next time as it had a few steps to prepare but I could not be happier with the recipe.