Pan con Pollo Salvadoreño Recipe
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
25 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr
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Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
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Servings
8
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Calories
368 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Salvadoran
Pan con Pollo Salvadoreño Recipe
Description
This recipe starts with jointed chicken pieces seasoned with salt, yellow mustard, cumin, and black pepper, then browned in vegetable oil. A blended sauce made from roma tomatoes, onion, soaked dried guajillo chiles, garlic, cloves, achiote, sesame seeds, almonds, cumin, oregano, salt, and water is added to the chicken and simmered for an hour. After cooking, the chicken meat is removed from the bones and returned to the sauce. The blend of spices and nuts creates a complex, aromatic sauce that infuses the chicken with savory, slightly spicy flavors.
The assembled sandwich includes sliced tomatoes, cucumber, romaine lettuce, carrot, radish, and peppery watercress layered on bread buns. Romaine lettuce acts as a barrier to keep bread from soaking up the juicy sauce. This combination offers a mixture of textures: tender, flavorful chicken with crunchy fresh vegetables inside a bread roll sturdy enough to hold the filling.
Practical tips include careful bone removal after cooking to avoid hazards and assembling sandwiches just before serving to prevent sogginess. Leftover chicken works well in stuffed peppers, tacos, or enchiladas. Serving Pan con Pollo with chips, fries, or vegetables rounds out the meal.
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken jointed (bone in, skinless, whole
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- 2 tsp cumin ground
- ½ tsp black pepper Use code FF20 for 20% off
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Sauce Ingredients
- 5 Roma tomato
- ½ white onion
- 2 dried guajillo chiles soaked in water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp achiote
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- ⅓ cup almonds
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaf
Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp cumin ground
- ⅛ tsp black pepper Use code FF20 for 20% off
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 ½ tsp white vinegar
Assembly Ingredients
- 3 tomato sliced
- 1 English cucumber sliced into rounds
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 carrot sliced into rounds
- 4 radish sliced into rounds
- 1 bunch watercress leaves
- 8 bread buns good ones with structure
Instructions
- Add the whole chicken into a large bowl. Sprinkle the chicken with ¾ tsp salt, ¼ cup mustard, 2 tsp cumin, and ½ tsp black pepper. Stir around with your hands to fully coat the chicken, then set aside momentarily.
- Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil to the bottom of a dutch oven pan and allow it to heat up. Add the chicken into the pot and fry in the oil for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until they are browned on each side.
- To make the sauce, blend 5 roma tomatoes, ½ a yellow onion, 2 guajillo chilies, 3 garlic cloves, 3 cloves, 1 tsp achiote, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, ⅓ cup almonds, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp oregano, 1 tsp salt and 1 cup water. Blend until the sauce is completely smooth.
- When the chicken has fried, add the sauce you made in the blender and 2 bay leaves. Add a lid and put the pot over medium heat. Let it cook for an hour.
- After an hour, turn off the heat. Use tongs to remove the chicken meat from the bones. Discard the bones but keep the chicken in the saue.
- Once the bones have been removed, leave the chicken covered on the stove (turned off) while you prepare the sauce.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients into a bowl and use a whisk to combine.
- Prepare the sandwiches by cutting a slit in the top of the bun and opening the bun from the middle. Spread the dressing around inside the bread.
- Use a piece of lettuce to line the inside of the bun. Then add the chicken & sauce into the lettuce. Place the veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, watercress leaves, etc) inside the bun.
- Repeat until the sandwiches are assembled and enjoy!
Notes
- Use bone-in, skinless chicken pieces including both dark and white meat for flavor and texture variety.
- Vegetable oil is preferred for frying due to its higher smoke point compared to olive oil.
- Soak dried guajillo chiles in water before blending to soften and bring out their fruity flavor.
- Roma tomatoes can be used raw or boiled before blending based on preference.
- Achiote adds color and flavor; paprika can substitute if unavailable.
- Un-toasted sesame seeds and blanched almonds thicken the sauce.
- Use romaine lettuce as a barrier inside the sandwich to prevent bread sogginess from the saucy chicken.
- Assemble sandwiches just before serving to keep bread texture optimal.
- Remove all bones carefully from cooked chicken to avoid choking hazards.
- Leftover chicken can be repurposed for stuffed peppers, tacos, or enchiladas.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 368 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 368kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 45g | 15% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 8g | 47% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 3mg | 1% |
| Sodium | 975mg | 41% |
| Potassium | 608mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 10g | 20% |
| Vitamin A | 9194IU | 184% |
| Vitamin C | 19mg | 21% |
| Calcium | 112mg | 11% |
| Iron | 13mg | 72% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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