AI-generated image
Jocón
Jocón: highland chicken in green tomatillo, coriander and pumpkin-seed sauce
Up in Huehuetenango and the Cuchumatanes highlands, jocón is a Sunday and fiesta dish: chicken pieces poached and then finished in a bright green sauce of tomatillos, coriander, spring onion and green pepper, thickened with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds and a soaked corn tortilla. It tastes tangy, herby and nutty, and is eaten with white rice and a stack of warm tortillas. The common mistake is boiling the sauce hard after blending, which dulls the colour and splits the seeds; keep it at a gentle bubble. Chef's tip: toast the pumpkin seeds until they pop and smell nutty but stay green; dark seeds turn the sauce muddy and bitter.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs and drumsticksbone in, skin removed
- 1 litre water
- 1 ½ tsp saltdivided
- 1 bay leaf
For the green sauce
- 1 ⅛ lb tomatilloshusked and rinsed
- 1 green pepperdeseeded
- 6 spring onionstrimmed
- 2 ⅛ oz fresh corianderleaves and stems
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ¾ oz hulled pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 corn tortillastale, torn
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks, 1 litre water, 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp of ⅞ tsp salt in a large pan. Bring to a simmer, skim, and cook gently for 20 minutes. Lift out the chicken and keep the broth.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile toast 1 ¾ oz hulled pumpkin seeds and 2 tbsp sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat, stirring, until the pumpkin seeds puff and pop and the sesame is pale gold. Tip out at once.
4 minStep 3: Simmer 1 ⅛ lb tomatillos and 1 green pepper in a little of the broth for 5 minutes until the tomatillos turn olive green and soften. Soak 1 corn tortilla in 100 ml of broth.
5 minStep 4: Blend the tomatillos, pepper, soaked tortilla, toasted seeds, 6 spring onions, 2 ⅛ oz fresh coriander, 2 cloves garlic and 300 ml of broth until smooth.
Step 5: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan, pour in the sauce (it will spit) and add the rest of ⅝ tsp salt. Return the chicken and simmer gently, half covered, until the sauce coats a spoon and the chicken is tender. The thickest part of a thigh must reach 165°F, with clear juices at the bone.
20 minStep 6: Loosen with a little more broth if needed and serve with rice and tortillas.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jocón take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh coriander?
- Flat-leaf parsley with a little mint (for people who dislike coriander too).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Chicken kdra with almonds
Kdra takes its name from the tall copper pot it was cooked in, and in Fez it is a festive dish for weddings and family gatherings rather than an everyday tagine. The sauce is the point: kilos of onion melted down with smen, saffron, white pepper and cinnamon until it turns pale gold and creamy, with no tomato or paprika at all. Soft chickpeas and almonds simmered until tender go into it, and the whole thing is scooped up with bread. Expect a mellow, perfumed, buttery richness rather than heat. Chef's tip: soak and simmer the blanched almonds with the chicken; they lose their crunch and become creamy like the chickpeas, which is how Fassi cooks like them.
Moroccan
Mosh
In Guatemalan homes, mosh is what a mother hands a child on a chilly highland morning in Quetzaltenango or Huehuetenango: rolled oats cooked long and thin with water, milk, cinnamon and sugar, so it's drunk from a mug rather than eaten with a spoon. The common mistake is making it too thick like porridge; it should pour easily, so keep adding hot milk or water as the oats swell. Chef's tip: whisk it hard for a minute at the end; it breaks up the oats and makes the drink smooth and frothy.
Chicken tikka masala
Marinating the chicken in spiced yoghurt keeps it tender, and a few minutes under a hot grill gives it the smoky char of a tandoor. The sauce is rich but not heavy, finished with a little cream and dried fenugreek leaves.
Indian