Seco de Pollo - Ecuadorian Chicken Stew
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg 3.3 lbs mix of chicken legs and thighs
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika* or ground achiote
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Ingredients to Blend
- 3 large tomatoes cut into chunks
- 1 bell pepper deseeded and cut into small pieces, reserve half to add to the stew
- 1 yellow onion peeled and cut into chunks
- 5 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 bunch parsley reserve some leaves to top the cooked stew
- 2 Thai chilies optional, or add chili powder to taste
- ¼ cup Pilsner light beer
- Juice of ½ orange
- 1 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Rub the chicken with cumin and paprika, and set it aside to marinate for about 30 minutes while you work on the other ingredients.
- Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, garlic, parsley, chilies, beer, orange juice into a food processer. Blend together to a thick chunky sauce.
- Heat some vegetable oil in a large pot and brown the chicken.
- Pour the blended sauce over the chicken and bring to a boil. Add the other chopped half of the bell pepper into the pot.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for an hour.
- After an hour, remove the chicken and if you prefer a chunkier sauce, cook it for another 15 minutes to reduce it down. Add salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle finely chopped fresh parsley on top of the stew.
- Enjoy it with Ecuadorian rice and pickled onions.
Notes
*The original recipe called for ground achiote but I can’t find that where I live. Paprika was the closest substitute I could find.