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1
Marinate the chicken in chicha
30 minutes
Room temperature (about 20°C / 68°F)
Rub the chicken pieces with half the salt, the black pepper and half the minced garlic. Pour over the chicha (or the pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar substitute), cover and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Lift the chicken out and pat dry; reserve the marinade.
Pat the chicken dry before browning — wet skin steams instead of browning.
Done when: Chicken is seasoned all over and smells faintly sweet-sour from the marinade.
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2
Brown the chicken pieces
12 minutes
Medium-high heat (200°C / 400°F)
Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces in batches, skin-side down first, for about 5 minutes per side until deep golden. Lift them out onto a plate; they do not need to be cooked through yet.
Brown in batches — crowding the pot drops the temperature and the chicken steams instead of browning.
Done when: Chicken skin is deep golden and crisp at the edges; the pot has browned bits on the bottom.
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3
Sauté the aromatics and melt the panela
8 minutes
Medium heat (180°C / 350°F)
Lower the heat to medium. In the same pot, cook the onion and both peppers for about 4 minutes until softened, then add the rest of the garlic and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes more. Sprinkle in the grated panela and stir until it melts into the vegetables.
Scrape the browned bits off the bottom as the vegetables release their juices — that is where the sauce colour and flavour come from.
Done when: Vegetables are soft and glossy; panela has melted into a dark syrup.
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4
Add the chicha and braise low and slow
75 minutes
Low simmer (about 90°C / 195°F)
Return the chicken to the pot and pour in the reserved marinade with the cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with a tight lid and cook on low heat for 75 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through, until the meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone.
Keep the simmer gentle — a hard boil toughens the chicken and clouds the sauce.
Done when: Chicken is tender and nearly falling off the bone; the sauce has darkened and smells sweet and spiced.
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5
Add the potatoes, carrots and dried fruit
40 minutes
Low simmer (about 90°C / 195°F)
Add the potatoes, carrots, prunes, raisins and olives to the pot, pushing them down into the sauce. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes more, until the potatoes and carrots are tender and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Fish out the cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice and bay leaves. Taste and add the rest of the salt if needed — the sauce should be sweet, tangy and savoury all at once.
Cut the potatoes into even chunks so they all finish at the same time.
Done when: Potatoes and carrots are tender; sauce is thick, dark and glossy; chicken is falling off the bone.
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6
Rest and serve with rice and tortillas
10 minutes
Serve hot (about 70°C / 158°F)
Take the pot off the heat and rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve the chicken and sauce in bowls with the potatoes, carrots and dried fruit, sprinkled with chopped spring onions, with white rice and warm handmade tortillas on the side.
The rest lets the sauce settle and the flavours come together — serve it hot, not lukewarm.
Done when: Chicken is hot through to 74°C (165°F); sauce is glossy and coats the meat.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the stew hot in deep bowls with white rice and warm tortillas for scooping up the dark, sweet-tangy sauce. The prunes and raisins should be visible in every serving.
El Salvador
1h 15m
