{"id":20835,"date":"2022-01-13T14:22:23","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T14:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/?p=20835"},"modified":"2023-07-22T15:08:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-22T15:08:10","slug":"luis-pepian-with-pollo-from-guatemala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/es\/luis-pepian-with-pollo-from-guatemala\/","title":{"rendered":"Pepian de Luis con Pollo de Guatemala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This smoky, chile-spiced pepian<\/a> with chicken, chayote and toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds is the dish that instantly transports Luis Yanes, one of our favorite homecooks, back to Guatemala. Luis now lives in the New York City area with his family\u2014he and his wife run a NYC tours and travel-guide company<\/a>\u2014but his native country is never far from his heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or his food memories! Luis loves to cook, taught well by his mother and grandmother to make traditional recipes like Guatemalan pork tamales wrapped in banana leaves<\/a>. And, of course, this chicken pepian, considered his country\u2019s national dish\u2014its origins going all the way back to the its Maya-Kaqchikel roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of us at Familia Kitchen were deeply honored when Luis sent us his family\u2019s own recipe for this soup\/stew, made with shredded and bone-in pollo with recado, Guatemala\u2019s traditional roasted chile-tomato sauce. A similar cooking base called recaudo<\/a>\u2014with a \u201du\u201d\u2014is essential to making the food of its neighbor to the north, Mexico. (While we\u2019re on the topic of spelling, the Mexican version of this dish is called pipian\u2014with an \u201di.\u201d And you are absolutely right: both pepi\u00e1n and pipi\u00e1n should have an accent on the \u00e1, but when we spell them correctly, our recipe search tool doesn\u2019t recognize the words, so we have to go accent-less. The same with our recipe for <\/a>Mexican caldo<\/a> de albondigas<\/a>, which\u2014sigh\u2014should be alb\u00f3ndigas. Lo sentimos mucho, proper spellers. We share your pain.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dPepian reminds me of home and spending time with family,\u201d says Luis. \u201dThat to me is the most important part. It\u2019s a dish that is always special and traditional, one you can share with your family and friends and feel the warmth and effort that goes into the dish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mayans made a pre-Hispanic vegetarian version of this dish for religious and ceremonial occasions. Pepian is traditionally made with native chiles and pepitoria\u2014roasted and ground seeds from the guisquil squash, also known as chayote. The hearty dish is sold by street vendors across the country, and the very making of pepian\u2014usually with chicken, though beef and pork are used too\u2014is reason enough to gather. In this way, pepian is much like Mexican pozole<\/a> and Mexican<\/a> mole<\/a>. All three are ancient dishes still made and served today at celebratory meals, typically for a large group of family and friends. No wonder pepian was named an \u201cintangible cultural heritage\u201d national treasure by Guatemala\u2019s Ministry of Culture and Sports in 2007. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dWe all have that dish that takes you back and brings forth some great memories from your childhood,\u201d says Luis. \u201cFor me, it is this dish (and maybe like 18 others, but let’s concentrate on this one!). Even in my adult years, I still get the feeling I am sitting back with family, enjoying a meal at the kids table.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Make and Serve Pepian<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally served with white rice and warm tortillas, \u201dthis pepian has great bold flavors and heat from the chiles, but immediately refreshes you with the fresh crunch of the string beans and freshness of cilantro,\u201d says Luis. \u201dI make about 2 cups of rice and the stew allows for about 6 to 7 large servings. Or just 2 to 3 servings if you are a champ and go for seconds\u2014which you likely will do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dI learned it properly from my mom when I was a little older since I always liked it, but I never knew the entire process. I usually make a ton of it, since it’s so laborious. Then I’ll freeze half of it, or sometimes, if I have friends over, we\u2019ll have it so that they learn a little of my country\u2019s traditional dish!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone, of course, loves it, Luis reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Luis has been experimenting with adding star of anise to this recipe. He first dry roasts the spice. \u201dI got the inspiration from making pho and ramen broths, and seeing that I like those warm-fruity-toasty flavors in those soups,\u201d he says<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dI think what makes pepian so unique is that if you were to ask 10 other people about their recipes, everyone has their own little nuances that they add to make it special,\u201d adds Luis. \u201dSo it might taste similar, but a little different at the same time!\u201d As all national dishes should, its ingredients vary from familia to familia. Other versions of this traditional recipe often include cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, peppercorns and coriander. Feel free to experiment when you make your own pepian, says Luis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you like this recipe, try Maritza\u2019s chicken pepian<\/a>, so special she requests it for her birthday every year. And if you want to go deeper into comida Guatemalteca, we predict you\u2019ll love Luis\u2019<\/a> tamales with pork and red sauce<\/a>, one of the most popular recipes at Familia Kitchen\u2014ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hungry for Pepian con Pollo, Guatelama\u2019s National Dish?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Luis\u2019 Pepian with Pollo from Guatemala<\/h2>\n\n
\n \t\t \t\t\tRecipe by Luis Yanes<\/span>\n \t\t\n
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  • <\/li>
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  • <\/li><\/ul>4.1<\/small> from<\/small> 15<\/small> votes<\/small><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <\/div>\n\t\t
    \n Cuisine: Guatemalan<\/mark><\/span> <\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
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    <\/span>Servings<\/span>

    6<\/p>servings<\/span><\/div>

    <\/span>Prep time<\/span>

    25<\/p>minutes<\/span><\/div>

    <\/span>Cooking time<\/span>

    1<\/p>hour <\/span>

    15<\/p>minutes<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n \n\t\t\n\t\t\t

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    Ingredients<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    • <\/span>

      1<\/span> whole chicken<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      water, to cover the chicken<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      1<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> salt<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      2\/3<\/span> cup<\/span> raw pumpkin seeds, shelled<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      2\/3<\/span> cup<\/span> sesame seeds<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      1<\/span> lb<\/span> string beans, fresh, trimmed<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      1<\/span> potato, large, peeled, cubed<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      2<\/span> guisquiles squash or chayotes, peeled, cubed<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      1\/2<\/span> cup<\/span> cilantro, packed, roughly chopped<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • Recado Sauce<\/strong><\/li>
    • <\/span>

      2<\/span> guajillo chiles<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      2<\/span> ancho chiles<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      6<\/span> Roma tomatoes<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      1\/2<\/span> onion, large<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      5 to 6<\/span> cloves<\/span> garlic<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      2<\/span> anise stars, optional<\/span><\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n \t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t

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      Directions<\/h3>\n\t\t\t
      • Boil and Shred the Chicken<\/strong><\/li>
      • Place the whole chicken in a large pot and fill it with water to cover. Add the salt. <\/li>
      • Turn the burner to high, bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and let the chicken cook for about 45 minutes.<\/li>
      • When done, set the pot with the chicken and its broth aside to cool. <\/li>
      • When cool to the touch, shred or cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and return to the pot with the chicken broth. \u201cTraditionally, we only shred the chicken breast, and keep the thighs and legs of the chicken whole (bone-in),\u201d says Luis.<\/li>
      • Prep the Vegetables<\/strong><\/li>
      • Wash and trim the ends of the fresh string beans, leaving them whole. <\/li>
      • Peel and cut the guisquiles or chayote squash and the potato into small cubes. Set both vegetables aside.<\/li>
      • Make the Recado Base Sauce<\/strong><\/li>
      • On a hot cast-iron pan, griddle or comal set to medium high, dry roast the ancho and guajillo chiles for 1 or 2 minutes. Set them aside in a bowl. <\/li>
      • Dry roast the tomatoes, onions, garlic and anise. The garlic and anise will deepen in color, give off an aroma and be ready before the rest of the ingredients. Take them out and add them to the chiles in the bowl. <\/li>
      • When the tomatoes and onion start to blister, blacken and get fragrant, add them to the bowl.<\/li>
      • Place the dry-roasted chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic and optional anise in a saucepan. Set the heat to medium high. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. When it boils, turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside to cool.<\/li>
      • Adjust the heat of the cast-iron pan, griddle or comal to low. Dry roast the pumpkin seeds about 5 minutes. When they start to give off a smoky aroma, they are ready. Set them aside in your bowl. <\/li>
      • Dry roast the sesame seeds for 3 to 5 minutes, until they turn pale gold. Keep an eye on them: they can go from toasted to burnt quickly. Add them to your bowl.<\/li>
      • Scoop out the chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic and optional anise from the saucepan\u2014and place them in a blender. Pour about 1\/2 cup of their liquid into the blender.<\/li>
      • Add the toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds. <\/li>
      • Blend\u2014until the mixture completely disintegrates. You will have an orange-reddish, nutty and full-flavored recado sauce.<\/li>
      • Strain the recado sauce in batches through a colander. Throw away the small scraps of vegetables, seeds and spices left behind in your colander\u2014or eat or compost them, says Luis. \u201dYou for sure don\u2019t want those little bits in the soup, though!\u201d<\/li>
      • Putting It All Together<\/strong><\/li>
      • Stir the recado into the pot with the chicken and broth, mixing them well. Set the heat to medium high. When the stew comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low. <\/li>
      • Let the stew simmer and reduce for 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered.<\/li>
      • Add the string beans, guisquiles or chayote, and potato to the pot. Gently boil about 15 minutes more, until the vegetables become tender.<\/li>
      • Chop the cilantro and add to the pot. Serve with white rice and hot tortillas. \u201cEnjoy, and don\u2019t forget to share with friends and family!\u201d says Luis.<\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
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        Notes<\/h3>\n\t\t\t
        • Experiment with adding toasted spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice berries, peppercorns and\/or coriander to explore the rich range of pepian\u2019s traditional flavor patterns.<\/li>
        • The consistency of pepian is like a soup: liquidy, says Luis. If your recado is too thick when it comes out of the blender, thin it out by adding a little of the chicken broth. Then pass it through a strainer in batches so that only the liquid goes into the pot with the cooked chicken.<\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n \n\t\n\t\t\t