Seco de Pollo - Ecuadorian Chicken Stew

Name: Seco de Pollo - Ecuadorian Chicken Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 kilogram chicken thighs; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 2 teaspoons paprika; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; ½ red bell pepper; ½ bunch parsley; ½ bunch Coriander (cilantro); 2 large tomatoes; ½ red bell pepper; 1 medium onion; 5 cloves garlic; ½ bunch parsley; ½ bunch Coriander (cilantro); ½ teaspoon chilli flakes; 200 millilitre light beer; 150 millilitre orange juice

User Reviews

5.0

186 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings
4 servings
Calories
699 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Ecuadorian

Seco de Pollo - Ecuadorian Chicken Stew

Damien Carter

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Transport your tastebuds to the beautiful Ecuador with Seco de Pollo, an aromatic chicken stew bursting with an abundance of fresh flavours. Seco de pollo is a very popular comfort food in South America, featuring succulent chicken pieces cooked in a perfectly seasoned tomato-pepper sauce, loaded with fresh herbs and spices.

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Ingredients

Servings

For the chicken

1 kilogram chicken thighs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
½ red bell pepper about 80g, diced into small cubes
½ bunch parsley about 15g, finely chopped
½ bunch Coriander (cilantro) about 15g, finely chopped

For the sauce

2 large tomatoes about 300g, roughly chopped
½ red bell pepper about 80g, roughly chopped
1 medium onion about 150g, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
½ bunch parsley about 15g
½ bunch Coriander (cilantro) about 15g
½ teaspoon chilli flakes or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
200 millilitre light beer pale, not dark beer
150 millilitre orange juice

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Instructions

Prepare the chicken

Add the cumin, paprika, brown sugar, salt and black pepper to the chicken pieces in a large bowl.
Using your hands, thoroughly rub the dry spice mixture into the chicken, coating all sides of each piece.
Once the chicken is evenly covered in the rub, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the fridge to marinate for one hour. Marinating allows the spices to permeate the chicken for enhanced flavour.

Make the sauce

While the chicken marinates, prepare the Seco de Pollo sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender.
Process the ingredients together until you have a chunky sauce with no large pieces of any of the ingredients left. Set the sauce aside for now.

Prep the add-ins

Dice and chop the reserved halves of the red bell pepper, the coriander and the parsley. Set aside.

Bringing it all together

After marinating, remove the chicken from the fridge. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add the chicken pieces in a single layer and brown for 2-3 minutes per side. Browning builds flavour and allows the spices to further penetrate the chicken.
Pour the blended sauce and diced red pepper into the pan with the browned chicken.
Distribute the sauce evenly around the chicken using a spoon or spatula.
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer then immediately reduce the heat to low to maintain a steady simmer.
Cover the pot tightly with a lid.
Allow the Seco de Pollo to cook covered for 50 minutes to 1 hour until the chicken is very tender when pierced.
Check for seasoning and add more if needed. If the sauce is too thin for your liking, remove the chicken pieces and simmer the sauce uncovered to reduce the liquid. If the sauce is too thick, stir in more orange juice or water until it reaches the consistency you prefer. Return the chicken to pot once adjusted.
Add the remaining halves of the coriander and parsley and stir through with the sauce and chicken.
Serve the Seco de Pollo immediately over rice with your favourite accompaniments while piping hot.

Notes

Marinate the chicken in the spice rub for at least 1 hour for the most flavour infusion. Overnight is even better!
Make sure to brown the chicken pieces well before adding the other ingredients. Browning builds tons of flavour. Visually, browned chicken pieces also look more attractive.
Once simmering, use a low, gentle heat to prevent scorching or over-reducing the sauce.
This is especially important if you are not using a heavy, cast iron Dutch oven or a saucepan with a thick, heavy base. Cookware with thinner bases conducts heat more intensely and directly to the stew. This intense heat exposure can lead to rapid reduction and potential burning or sticking on the pan bottom.
Keep an eye on the sauce as it simmers. Following on from above, a thin-based saucepan will make the stew cook faster with a more direct heat, which could cause the sauce to reduce quicker.
If the sauce is too thin for your liking, remove the chicken pieces and simmer the sauce uncovered to reduce the liquid. If the sauce is too thick/dry, stir in more orange juice or water until it reaches the consistency you prefer. Return the chicken to the pot once adjusted.
Only add the remaining fresh herbs at the end of the cooking process. This preserves their bright, aromatic qualities.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 699kcal (35%) Carbohydrates 26g (9%) Protein 43g (86%) Fat 46g (71%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 9g Monounsaturated Fat 20g Trans Fat 0.2g Cholesterol 245mg (82%) Sodium 809mg (34%) Potassium 1081mg (31%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 17g (34%) Vitamin A 3883IU (78%) Vitamin C 93mg (103%) Calcium 90mg (9%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 699 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	699kcal	35%
Carbohydrates	26g	9%
Protein	43g	86%
Fat	46g	71%
Saturated Fat	12g	60%
Polyunsaturated Fat	9g	53%
Monounsaturated Fat	20g	100%
Trans Fat	0.2g	10%
Cholesterol	245mg	82%
Sodium	809mg	34%
Potassium	1081mg	23%
Fiber	3g	12%
Sugar	17g	34%
Vitamin A	3883IU	78%
Vitamin C	93mg	103%
Calcium	90mg	9%
Iron	4mg	22%