Jocón (Chicken and Tomatillo Stew)

Jocón is a bright green chicken stew from Guatemala, thickened with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds. Broiling the tomatillos and peppers first gives it a smoky depth. Look for tomatillos and green peppers at the market in late summer.

Serves 8 · About 2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 cup roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup white sesame seeds
• 1 pound tomatillos (about 9 medium), husked and rinsed
• 3 medium green bell peppers, halved and stemmed
• 1 sweet onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise
• 6½ cups chicken broth
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt
• 3 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 large bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
• 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ⅓-inch cubes
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ⅓-inch cubes
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Toast the pumpkin and sesame seeds in a medium pan over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until fragrant and the sesame turns pale gold, about 3 minutes. Pulse in a blender until sandy, scraping down as needed, and set aside.
2. Heat the broiler to high. Spread the tomatillos, peppers, onion and jalapeño on a large sheet pan, cut sides down. Broil 6 to 8 minutes, turning the pan as needed, until the skins blister and soften.
3. Put the broth, chicken and all the broiled vegetables in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to medium and simmer 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and 2 teaspoons salt and fry, swirling the pan, until just golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
5. Lift the chicken out of the pot into a bowl. Add the scallions and cilantro to the broth and purée until smooth, in a blender or with an immersion blender right in the pot.
6. Stir the garlic oil, potatoes, carrots and ground seeds into the soup. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender and the soup has thickened.
7. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces with two forks, return it to the pot to heat through and season with salt.
8. To serve, pack rice into a small cup, turn it out into the center of a bowl and ladle the stew around it.

Tips

• The stew keeps 2 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Adapted from Jorge Cárdenas and Christina Morales, NYT Cooking.