Ecuadorian Seco de Pollo (Chicken Stew with Cilantro and Beer)

Despite its name (“seco” means dry), seco de pollo is a saucy, deeply flavorful stew. Chicken pieces braise slowly with a blended sauce of cilantro, peppers, tomato and garlic, and a splash of beer and orange juice adds depth and a gentle tang. In Ecuador it’s the dish of family lunches and Sunday gatherings, always served with white rice, fried sweet plantains (maduros) and avocado.

• Servings: 6
• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin removed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon achiote powder
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 large bunch cilantro (about 2 cups, stems included), plus more to garnish
• 1 bottle (12 oz / 355 ml) light beer
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) orange juice, or naranjilla juice if you can find it
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar or panela
• Salt and pepper
• White rice, fried ripe plantains and avocado, to serve

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. Rub the pieces with the cumin, oregano, achiote, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
2. Brown. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in batches, 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
3. Blend the sauce. Blend the onion, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro and half the beer until smooth.
4. Cook the sauce. Pour the blended sauce into the pot and cook 8 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly. Add the rest of the beer, the orange juice and the sugar.
5. Braise. Return the chicken to the pot, cover and simmer over low heat for 35 minutes, turning the pieces once, until very tender. Uncover for the last 10 minutes if the sauce needs to thicken.
6. Serve. Taste for salt, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice, fried sweet plantains and avocado.

Tips

• Use lots of cilantro. It’s the backbone of the sauce, so don’t be shy with it.
• No beer? Use chicken broth with a tablespoon of lime juice.
• Seco de carne: make it with beef chuck and braise 2 hours instead of 35 minutes.

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