Uploaded January 2021 | Updated September 2026, 12 hours ago
This is a kind of stew, from a rich tradition of the mesoamerican cultural melting pot. The base recipe comes from Guatemala in this case, but there are similar recipes in Mexico and doubtless throughout central America. We make it with chicken, but beef, pork, lamb, mutton or goat would all be delicious. Repetition will help you fine tune exactly what spices you want to use, starting from this basic recipe.
A common technique from this region is called sofrito, wherein aromatics are ground up with some fresh vegetables in a molcajete (similar to a mortar and pestle), and then the mixture is reduced over heat. In this recipe we create a puree of that sort, but we don’t reduce it.
There are two main parts to this procedure. One is to cook the meat and large chunks of stew veg, such as potatoes, carrots, chayote squash or other similar stew veg in water (or broth), until they are more or less ready to eat. The other is to create the aromatic sauce-puree. Then, perhaps in a separate vessel, the puree is mixed with the broth to create a stew of the desired thickness, and then the meat and veg chunks are added. Retain any remaining broth for future use, of course.
We use chicken thighs as they are easy to obtain, use, portion etc. One could break down a whole stewing hen and use that instead, or of course a comparable amount (1.5-2 lb) of other meat as mentioned above.
Before blending all the sauce ingredients together in the food processor, literally all of them need to be toasted or seared in a hot cast iron pan. The traditional tool would be a comal; I don’t have one but my regular cast iron pan works just fine. Wait until the very end to toast your masa harina – some will stick all over the pan.
A great way to serve pepián is either as tacos or enchiladas made with homemade tortillas, which can also be made using the cast iron pan, from nothing more than water and masa harina.
Makes enough for 6-10 meals, 6 chicken thighs.
Equipment:
• blender or food processor + spice grinder; or molcajete
• large dutch oven, rondeau or stew pot
• second pot or other container for final stew
• cast iron skillet (carbon steel would also work; stainless probably; nonstick isn’t going to work well)
Ingredients:
6 pc chicken thighs
Stew veg:
1-2 ea carrots
1-2 ea potatoes
1 ea chayote a.k.a. mirliton; or green beans cut to 1”
Sauce components:
6+ ea small tomatoes 1/2 box (1 cup) of grape tomatoes, for instance
1-2 ea onion
3 cloves garlic
1 oz sesame seed
1 oz pepitas hulled pumpkin seeds
4 ea dried chiles 1 guajillo + 3 pasilla; or experiment
10 stalks cilantro chopped roughly and well-dessicated in the pan
2-4 berries allspice
2-4 ea cloves
1 oz masa harina nixtamalized corn flour
Procedure:
1. First, sear off the meat in chunks. Salt and pepper it, and put the seasoned side down onto a hot pan. This isn’t required, but it will greatly improve flavor.
2. Get the stew vegetables clean and peeled where indicated. Of these three I peel the carrots but it’s not required.
3. Cut the vegetables to a good stew size, 1.5” cubes or so.
4. Place the vegetables in to a stew pot, and the seared meat, and just enough cold water to cover.
5. Bring the pot swiftly to a simmer but try not to boil it hard.
6. Allow to simmer an hour or so, until everything is cooked and becoming tender.
7. Meanwhile, get the cast iron hot, and start toasting off sauce components.
8. Here is a good order to go in:
a) allspice and cloves
b) dried chiles
c) pepitas
d) sesame seeds
e) onion, tomatoes, garlic (all at once; allow garlic to darken, onion to char on its face, and onions to split)
f) cilantro (it will become dry and flaky, almost crumbly)
g) masa harina
9. Once the spices and chiles are toasted, reduce them to powder in a spice grinder.
10. Place all the sauce paste ingredients including ground spices into the food processor or blender.
11. Once all are present, blend to a fine, smooth paste. This may require running the blender for a few minutes.
12. If need be, add a little broth. Usually the moisture from tomatoes and onions should be enough.
13. Once the stew parts are done, combine the sauce paste in an empty pot or other vessel with some of the broth, to get a good consistency of stew gravy.
14. Bring this to a simmer over medium heat and add the meat and stew veg.
15. Serve as is with rice, or break up the meat and the veg and use them to fill tacos or enchiladas.
16. Garnish with any or all of: toasted sesame seeds, toasted pepitas, chopped cilantro, diced onion, feta (or cotija) cheese, escabeche... the sky is really the limit.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
This is a kind of stew, from a rich tradition of the mesoamerican cultural melting pot. The base recipe comes from Guatemala in this case, but there are similar recipes in Mexico and doubtless throughout central America. We make it with chicken, but beef, pork, lamb, mutton or goat would all be delicious. Repetition will help you fine tune exactly what spices you want to use, starting from this basic recipe.
A common technique from this region is called sofrito, wherein aromatics are ground up with some fresh vegetables in a molcajete (similar to a mortar and pestle), and then the mixture is reduced over heat. In this recipe we create a puree of that sort, but we don’t reduce it.
There are two main parts to this procedure. One is to cook the meat and large chunks of stew veg, such as potatoes, carrots, chayote squash or other similar stew veg in water (or broth), until they are more or less ready to eat. The other is to create the aromatic sauce-puree. Then, perhaps in a separate vessel, the puree is mixed with the broth to create a stew of the desired thickness, and then the meat and veg chunks are added. Retain any remaining broth for future use, of course.
We use chicken thighs as they are easy to obtain, use, portion etc. One could break down a whole stewing hen and use that instead, or of course a comparable amount (1.5-2 lb) of other meat as mentioned above.
Before blending all the sauce ingredients together in the food processor, literally all of them need to be toasted or seared in a hot cast iron pan. The traditional tool would be a comal; I don’t have one but my regular cast iron pan works just fine. Wait until the very end to toast your masa harina – some will stick all over the pan.
A great way to serve pepián is either as tacos or enchiladas made with homemade tortillas, which can also be made using the cast iron pan, from nothing more than water and masa harina.
Makes enough for 6-10 meals, 6 chicken thighs.
Equipment:
• blender or food processor + spice grinder; or molcajete
• large dutch oven, rondeau or stew pot
• second pot or other container for final stew
• cast iron skillet (carbon steel would also work; stainless probably; nonstick isn’t going to work well)
Ingredients:
6 pc chicken thighs
Stew veg:
1-2 ea carrots
1-2 ea potatoes
1 ea chayote a.k.a. mirliton; or green beans cut to 1”
Sauce components:
6+ ea small tomatoes 1/2 box (1 cup) of grape tomatoes, for instance
1-2 ea onion
3 cloves garlic
1 oz sesame seed
1 oz pepitas hulled pumpkin seeds
4 ea dried chiles 1 guajillo + 3 pasilla; or experiment
10 stalks cilantro chopped roughly and well-dessicated in the pan
2-4 berries allspice
2-4 ea cloves
1 oz masa harina nixtamalized corn flour
Procedure:
1. First, sear off the meat in chunks. Salt and pepper it, and put the seasoned side down onto a hot pan. This isn’t required, but it will greatly improve flavor.
2. Get the stew vegetables clean and peeled where indicated. Of these three I peel the carrots but it’s not required.
3. Cut the vegetables to a good stew size, 1.5” cubes or so.
4. Place the vegetables in to a stew pot, and the seared meat, and just enough cold water to cover.
5. Bring the pot swiftly to a simmer but try not to boil it hard.
6. Allow to simmer an hour or so, until everything is cooked and becoming tender.
7. Meanwhile, get the cast iron hot, and start toasting off sauce components.
8. Here is a good order to go in:
a) allspice and cloves
b) dried chiles
c) pepitas
d) sesame seeds
e) onion, tomatoes, garlic (all at once; allow garlic to darken, onion to char on its face, and onions to split)
f) cilantro (it will become dry and flaky, almost crumbly)
g) masa harina
9. Once the spices and chiles are toasted, reduce them to powder in a spice grinder.
10. Place all the sauce paste ingredients including ground spices into the food processor or blender.
11. Once all are present, blend to a fine, smooth paste. This may require running the blender for a few minutes.
12. If need be, add a little broth. Usually the moisture from tomatoes and onions should be enough.
13. Once the stew parts are done, combine the sauce paste in an empty pot or other vessel with some of the broth, to get a good consistency of stew gravy.
14. Bring this to a simmer over medium heat and add the meat and stew veg.
15. Serve as is with rice, or break up the meat and the veg and use them to fill tacos or enchiladas.
16. Garnish with any or all of: toasted sesame seeds, toasted pepitas, chopped cilantro, diced onion, feta (or cotija) cheese, escabeche... the sky is really the limit.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
