Pepián de pollo
Non-vegetarian
Pepián
Guatemala's best-known stew: chicken and vegetables in a thick, smoky sauce of charred tomatoes, tomatillos and dried chiles thickened with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Pepián de pollo is a Guatemalan stew, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, dried whole chillies and pumpkin seeds. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 h 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 45 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 712
Ingredients
Recado
Vegetables
To serve
Method
Step 1
Simmer the chicken in the water with 1 tsp salt for 25 minutes, skimming. Add the potato (opens in a new tab), chayote (opens in a new tab) and carrot (opens in a new tab) for the last 10 minutes and the green beans (opens in a new tab) for the last 5.
- 25 min
- low heat
- Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a dry heavy pan, char the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), tomatillos (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and pepper until blackened in spots. Peel the garlic.
- 15 min
- medium-high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Step 3
Toast the chiles briefly, then the pumpkin seeds (opens in a new tab), sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab) until golden and fragrant, and the tortilla (opens in a new tab) until dark. Take care not to burn the seeds.
- 8 min
- medium heat
Step 4
Blend all the charred and toasted ingredients (cinnamon (opens in a new tab) included) with the achiote (opens in a new tab) and about 500 ml of chicken broth until smooth.
Step 5
Pour the recado into the pot with the chicken and vegetables, add the remaining salt and simmer, stirring, until thick and rich, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cilantro (opens in a new tab).
- 20 min
- low heat
Step 6
Serve with rice and corn tortillas (opens in a new tab) or tamalitos.
- 2 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Guatemala · Well documentedOften called Guatemala's national dish; it blends Maya and Spanish ingredients.More food from Guatemala
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Toasted, Simmered, Stewed, Blended
- Taste
- smoky, earthy, nutty, savoury, spicy (chilli heat)
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-proteinWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Carb-conscious - Good for
- Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · One-pot
- Cook more with
- Chicken pieces, skin-on · Dried whole chillies · Pumpkin seeds · Tomato · Tomatillo · Onion
- Techniques
- Toasting · Simmering · Stewing · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Wet grinding
Allergens
- Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
712 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 799 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 29%
- Carbohydrate 18%
- Fat 54%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 712 kcal | 89 kcal |
| Protein | 51.2 g | 6.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 31.9 g | 4 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 23.8 g | 3 g |
| Sugars | 7.7 g | 1 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 8.1 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 42.9 g | 5.4 g |
| Saturated fat | 11.3 g | 1.4 g |
| Trans fat | 0.2 g | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 175 mg | 22 mg |
| Sodium | 978 mg | 122 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.4 g | 0.3 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 1422 mg
- Calcium
- 181 mg
- Iron
- 5.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 170 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 389 µg
- Vitamin C
- 66 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.7 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 108 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: achiote paste, long-grain white rice.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Common mistakes
- Burning the seeds while toasting — the sauce turns bitter.
Food safety
- Simmer the chicken to 74 °C; cool and refrigerate the stew within 2 hours.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days; flavours deepen overnight.
Reheating
- Reheat gently, adding broth if thick.
Variations
- Pepián de res: Made with beef instead of chicken.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Chicken pieces, skin-on, jointed, skin removed if you like1.4 kg · 1400 g
Masalas in this recipe
Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.
Wet masala
Recado rojo (Yucatecan achiote paste)
This recipe uses 1 tsp (5.4 g for 6 servings).
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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