Laylita’s recipes

En español

This chicken stew is another delicious recipe from Ecuador, it is one of dishes that you crave on a day when you want a nice home cooked meal that not only satisfies your stomach but also makes you happy overall. This dish is also known as seco de gallina criolla, if it is made with a young chicken it is called seco de pollo and if it is made with an older hen it is called seco de gallina criolla. Traditionally it was a way to cook those older tougher hens and soften the meat but cooking it slowly in a sauce of onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and spices, the traditional preparation also uses chicha - a fermented corn drink – instead of beer, most people today prepare it with beer because it is much easier to find and tastes great. Seco de pollo is an easy recipe to make but it is time consuming mainly because the chicken has to cook for a long time, I made a lot of it, enough to serve at least 10 people, so if you are cooking for a smaller crowd you might want to half the recipe, this will also reduce the cooking time. Seco de pollo is always served with arroz amarillo or yellow rice -just add some achiote to the rice preparation -and fried ripe plantains. Those are the two must have sides; I like to also serve it with avocado slices, a small salad, and in this case some whole potatoes sauteed in butter.

Ingredients:

6 lbs of assorted chicken pieces

6 tbs canola oil

2 red onions, quartered

½ red onion, minced for refrito

10 whole garlic gloves plus 4 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp ground achiote or annatto

4 cups of beer

8 tomatoes, quartered

3 bell peppers, quartered

1 hot pepper (jalapeno or serrano)

1 bunch cilantro, reserve some to add at the end

1 bunch parsley, reserve some to add at the end

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Sides

Arroz amarillo or yellow rice

Fried ripe plantains

Whole potatoes sauteed in butter

Avocado slices

Pickled radish salad or any other small salad

Preparation:

1. Blend the beer, quartered onions, whole garlic cloves, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano and cumin to obtain a smooth puree.
2. In a large saucepan or soup pot heat the oil over medium heat to prepare a refrito or sofrito, add the minced red onion, minced garlic and achiote, cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and brown lightly on each side, add the blended puree mix, and cook on low heat until the chicken is very tender and the sauce has thickened, about 2 ½ hours.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the remaining cilantro and parsley.
6. Serve with arroz amarillo or yellow rice and fried ripe plantains. Can also be served with avocado slices, whole potatoes sauteed in butter and a small salad.

La receta en español del seco de pollo esta aqui.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS