AI-generated image
Patacón maracucho
Plantain sandwich
Patacón maracucho: Maracaibo sandwich with fried green plantain as the bread
VenezuelanIn Maracaibo, the patacón is a sandwich where the bread is a whole green plantain, sliced lengthwise, fried, smashed flat and fried again until crisp. It's stacked with grilled meat, salty white cheese, lettuce, tomato and a flood of sauces, and sold from busy street stands late into the night. This version fills it with garlicky chicken. The common mistake is flattening the plantain after it has cooled, so it cracks. Chef's tip: press it between two sheets of baking paper with a heavy board while it is still hot from the first fry.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the patacones
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor frying
- 1 tsp salt
For the chicken
- 14 oz chicken breastthin strips
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
To fill
- 5 ½ oz salty white cheesesliced
- 4 leaves lettuceshredded
- 1 tomatosliced
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp ketchup
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (7)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Toss 14 oz chicken breast with 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp lime juice and a pinch of ¼ tsp salt. Leave in the fridge while you prepare the plantains.
5 minStep 2: Peel 4 large green plantains by cutting off the ends, scoring the skin lengthwise and prising it away. Cut each lengthwise into 2 thick slabs.
8 minStep 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wide deep pan to 325°F and fry the slabs for 4 minutes, until pale golden and soft. Drain.
8 minStep 4: While hot, press each slab between two sheets of baking paper under a chopping board until about 5 mm thick and wide like a slice of bread.
5 minStep 5: Raise the oil to 350°F and fry the flattened slabs again for 2–3 minutes, until crisp and golden. Drain and sprinkle with the rest of ¾ tsp salt.
8 minStep 6: Fry the chicken in 1 tbsp vegetable oil over a high heat for 5–6 minutes, until golden and cooked through (165°F).
6 minStep 7: Spread one patacón with 4 tbsp mayonnaise and 3 tbsp ketchup, layer chicken, 5 ½ oz salty white cheese, 4 leaves lettuce and 1 tomato, and top with a second patacón. Eat at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does patacón maracucho take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of chicken breast?
- Boneless chicken thighs, same weight (a few minutes longer).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sandwich grecKebab baguette
In Paris, a "grec" is the late-night kebab sandwich named after the Greek-run shops that first sold it in the Latin Quarter. On rue de la Huchette and rue Saint-André-des-Arts near Saint-Michel, students queue after a night out for crusty bread or pitta stuffed with meat shaved from a turning spit, lettuce, tomato and onion, a garlicky white sauce, and, the Paris touch, a handful of fries pushed right inside. This home version marinates chicken thighs in spiced yoghurt, sears them hard and slices them thin, with oven fries. It contains milk, egg (in the mayonnaise) and wheat. Chef's tip: slice the meat thinly across the grain after resting; thick chunks don't feel like a grec.
French
FororoToasted corn porridge
Fororo is the name for finely ground toasted corn, and for the smooth porridge made from it that grandmothers in Lara, Barinas and the rest of the Llanos give to children before school or to anyone feeling under the weather. It tastes gently nutty, like warm popcorn in a cup, sweetened with panela and scented with cinnamon. If you can't find fororo flour, toasting fine cornmeal in a dry pan gives the same result. The common mistake is tipping the flour straight into hot milk, which makes lumps. Chef's tip: whisk the flour into a little cold milk first, then pour it into the pot.
CatalinasChewy panela anise cookies
Catalinas are the big dark cookies stacked in clear bags by the till of every Venezuelan bodega and panadería, eaten as a mid-afternoon snack with a glass of cold milk or a small black coffee. The dough is sweetened with melted panela and perfumed with anise, cinnamon and clove, and they stay soft and chewy for days. The mistake people make is baking until hard; they firm up as they cool. Chef's tip: take them out when they have puffed and the edges just feel set.
