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Seco de pollo
Ecuadorian chicken stewed with naranjilla, beer and coriander
Seco de pollo is the weekday stew of Ecuadorian homes, from Quito to Cuenca, and the dish most lunch places serve on Mondays: chicken simmered in a green-gold sauce of onion, peppers, garlic, cumin and lots of coriander, soured with naranjilla (lulo) juice and often cooked with a little beer. It is served with yellow rice, fried ripe plantain and avocado. This recipe uses beer; for an alcohol-free version replace it with the same amount of chicken stock plus a teaspoon of sugar. The mistake is using too little coriander: the sauce should be fragrant and green. Chef's tip: if you can't find naranjilla, use half orange juice and half lime juice.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks with 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground achiote or sweet paprika and ¾ tsp salt. Leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot and brown the chicken for 8 minutes. Set aside.
8 minStep 3: Cook 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves and 1 green pepper for 6 minutes, then add 2 tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
11 minStep 4: Blend the onion mixture with ¾ cup naranjilla (lulo) juice, 1 cup lager beer and half the ⅔ oz coriander until smooth. Pour back into the pot, add the chicken and the rest of ¾ tsp salt.
Step 5: Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, then uncover for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. The alcohol simmers away, though a little flavour remains; the chicken must reach 165°F.
40 minStep 6: Stir in the rest of ⅔ oz coriander and serve with yellow rice, fried plantain and avocado.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does seco de pollo take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 55 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 ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
- What can I use instead of ground achiote or sweet paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
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