Ecuadorian food 101 – Seco de pollo (chicken), delicious warm food

beer

🥗Healthier: non-alcoholic beer

💰Cheaper: chicken broth

Non-alcoholic beer retains flavor without alcohol.

chicken

🥗Healthier: turkey

💰Cheaper: chicken thighs

Turkey is leaner, while thighs are often less expensive.

cilantro

🥗Healthier: parsley

💰Cheaper: parsley

Parsley offers a similar fresh flavor at a lower cost.

Season chicken pieces with salt and black pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat.

Add chicken pieces to the pot and seal them until they are tender and delicious.

In a blender, combine 1/2 tomato, 1 green pepper, and 1 red onion to make the refrito.

Check on the chicken pieces to ensure they don't burn and remove them when ready.

In the same pot, add a little more oil and add achiote paste for color (or substitute with paprika or aji amarillo).

Add the blended mixture (refrito) to the pot and mix well.

Add 1 tablespoon of garlic paste, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground oregano, and salt to the pot; mix well.

Cook the refrito on low temperature for around 5 minutes until it is dry and paste-like.

Add the chicken pieces back into the pot with the refrito.

Pour in 1 cup of juice of narangija and 1 cup of chicha de jora.

Add 6 cilantro stems to the pot and cover with a lid; cook on low temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the cilantro stems and chop cilantro leaves finely.

Add the chopped cilantro leaves to the pot and mix; season with salt and pepper if needed.

Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: