A lively, comforting traditional Guatemalan stew with Mayan roots. Recipe below.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING. When Marion recently came across a mention of jocón, a Guatemalan chicken and tomatillo stew, the yo-yo that is winter weather this year had just taken another chilly dive. We were ready for something warm, stew-y and comforting. Something just like this.
While jocón (hō-CŌN) is a new dish to us, this traditional stew has roots in ancient Mayan culture and is a favorite with today’s Mayas, especially in Guatemala. Chickens were introduced to the region—and the dish—when Spain colonized it. But now, chicken is the center of this hearty stew.
Another key ingredient is tomatillos. Although they’re often called “Mexican green tomatoes,” they’re actually not related to red tomatoes. Tomatillos are also the key ingredient in salsa verde. When ripe, tomatillos can be yellow, red, green or purple, but they are mostly used while still green and unripened, when they’re at their most flavorful—bright and lemony. Depending on where you live, tomatillos may be available in some supermarkets. But you’ll most reliably find them in specialty grocery stores catering to Latino customers.
Speaking of timing, making jocón takes some time. There’s not a single difficult step to making this dish, but there are a good number of steps. So just settle in, cook and enjoy the incredible smells filling your kitchen.
Jocón de Pollo (Guatemalan Chicken and Tomatillo Stew)
Equipment
- spice or coffee grinder
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shelled raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups water, or more as needed
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed and quartered (8 or so)
- 1 jalapeño, chopped (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 corn tortillas soaked in water (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, stems discarded, plus more for garnish
- 3 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
- cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
- In a large, dry nonstick sauté pan, toast pumpkin seeds over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add sesame seeds to pan and toast, stirring frequently for another 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to shallow bowl and let cool completely.
- In a Dutch oven, combine chicken, broth, enough water to just submerge chicken, and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt (if using Morton kosher salt or table salt, start with 1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to an active simmer and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl, and strain chicken stock into a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, heat a generous dollop of olive oil in the sauté pan and cook onion until starting to get translucent and tender, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 45 seconds. Add tomatillos, jalapeño and bell pepper to pan, stirring to coat. Drizzle in more oil if needed and flip tomatillo quarters so the cut sides are down in the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatillos are softening, about 15 minutes. They may get some charring on them. That’s okay.
- While tomatillos are cooking, grind seeds in a spice grinder, working in batches. It won’t take much, just a few pulses per batch. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Combine tomatillo mixture, ground seeds, 1/2 cup cilantro, scallions and 1 cup of reserved broth in a food processor bowl (you may have to work in batches). Tear up the corn tortillas and add to the food processor. Process until smooth. You may need to add a little more broth if it’s too thick to blend.
- Pour blended tomatillo mixture into the Dutch oven and gently heat. Using two forks, shred the chicken thighs and stir into to the Dutch oven. Add more broth as needed to achieve a nice saucy/stew-y consistency; we added about a cup. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes to let flavors combine. Adjust seasonings with salt.
- Serve alongside or over a scoop of rice. Top with chopped cilantro.