Chef-tested recipe
Chicken and vegetables in a roasted tomato, chile, sesame and pepitoria sauce
Pepián is a historic Guatemalan stew with Kaqchikel roots, prepared for celebrations and family tables. Its body comes from ingredients roasted separately—tomatoes, tomatillos, dried chillies, sesame, pepitoria, spices and bread—then ground with chicken broth. Chicken and substantial vegetables finish in the deeply toasted sauce.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Prep Time
- 45 mins
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 30 mins
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 mins
- Cuisine
- Guatemalan
- Course
- Main dish
- Cooking Method
- Simmering, dry-roasting, grinding and stewing
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best Served With
- White rice, tamalitos de masa, warm corn tortillas, or a simple avocado salad.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Large stockpot paid link
- Heavy saucepan paid link
- Comal or heavy frying pan paid link
- Blender paid link
- Medium-mesh sieve paid link
- Tongs paid link
- Chef’s knife paid link
- Cutting board paid link
- Digital kitchen scale paid link
Ingredients
For the chicken and vegetables
- Whole free-range chicken: 2.2 kg, cut into 8 pieces
- Water: 2.5 litres
- Fine sea salt: 24 g, divided paid link
- Potatoes: 500 g, peeled and cut into large pieces
- Green beans: 250 g, trimmed Shop paid link
- Carrot: 200 g, cut into thick pieces
- Chayote: 400 g, peeled and cut into large pieces
- Fresh coriander: 60 g, divided
For the roasted sauce
- Ripe tomatoes: 900 g
- Tomatillos or miltomates: 100 g, husked and rinsed
- Brown onions: 300 g, halved
- Garlic: 20 g, unpeeled
- Red bell pepper: 180 g
- Dried chile guaque: 2, stemmed and seeded paid link
- Dried chile pasa: 2, stemmed and seeded paid link
- Sesame seeds: 30 g paid link
- Pepitoria or hulled pumpkin seeds: 30 g paid link
- Cinnamon stick: 4 g, optional
- Whole cloves: 2
- Whole allspice berries: 5 paid link
- Black peppercorns: 5
- Day-old bread: 150 g, sliced and toasted
Preparation Overview
Place the chicken in a large pot with water and half the salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim carefully. Add potatoes, green beans, carrot and chayote according to their cooking times so all become just tender. Lift out the chicken and vegetables, strain the broth, and reserve 1.5 litres.
Method
On a dry comal or heavy pan, toast sesame, pepitoria, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and pepper separately until fragrant. Do not burn them.
Char tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, bell pepper, dried chillies and half the coriander until softened and marked. Peel the garlic.
Blend the roasted produce, toasted seeds and spices, toasted bread and 1 litre reserved chicken broth until very smooth.
Pass the sauce through a medium sieve into a clean heavy pot, pressing well.
Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently so the seed-thickened sauce does not catch.
Add the chicken and cooked vegetables. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, adding enough reserved broth to create a sauce that coats but still flows.
Chop and stir in the remaining fresh coriander. Taste and add the remaining salt as needed.
Rest for 10 minutes before serving or portioning.
Beginner Technique Notes
Roast each ingredient according to its size. Seeds can burn long before tomatoes soften.
A high-powered blender produces the smoothest sauce, but sieving still gives pepián its refined, even body.
Keep the sauce moving once the ground seeds and bread are added because they settle quickly.
Tips and Variations
Prepare the sauce one day ahead and refrigerate it; the toasted flavours deepen overnight.
Turkey or pork appears in other traditional versions, but cooking time must be adjusted.
If chile guaque or chile pasa is unavailable, seek a Guatemalan grocer rather than replacing both with very hot chillies.
Pack rice or tamalitos separately so they do not absorb the sauce during storage.
Serving Ideas
- Place one chicken piece and a mixture of vegetables in each shallow bowl, then ladle the velvety toasted sauce generously around them.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat gently, stirring from the bottom and adding broth if the sauce becomes too thick.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains sesame and wheat/gluten from the toasted bread. Use gluten-free toasted bread if required and check all dried spices for cross-contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What thickens pepián?
Toasted sesame, pepitoria and bread give the sauce its characteristic body.
Is pepián very spicy?
It is more deeply roasted and aromatic than sharply hot. Removing the chile seeds keeps the heat moderate.
Can the sauce be blended without straining?
Yes, but straining gives it a smoother traditional presentation and removes tough chile skins.
Why does my sauce taste bitter?
One of the chillies, seeds or spices was probably burned. Toast over moderate heat and remove each ingredient as soon as fragrant.
