P
Latin American
Jocón (Guatemalan green chicken stew)
Jocón is a Guatemalan green stew of chicken in a sauce made from tomatillos, green onion (cebollín), cilantro, pepitoria, and fresh green chiles. Unlike pepián verde, jocón does not rely primarily on dried seeds for body — the sauce is lighter and more herb-dominated. It is particularly associated with the Huehuetenango department and highland Maya communities. Served with corn tortillas and white rice.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1.2 kg
chicken
bone-in pieces
Your own market
1 tsp
salt
for poaching water
Your own market
For the jocón sauce
300 g
tomatillos
husked; roasted or raw
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
6
cebollín (Guatemalan green onion)
entire stalk including green tops, roughly chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
fresh cilantro
leaves and stems
Your own market
2
fresh green chiles
stems removed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 g
pepitoria (pumpkin seeds)
lightly toasted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
5 g
salt
Your own market
To serve
4
corn tortillas
warmed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 g
white rice
cooked
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Place the chicken pieces in a pot and cover with cold water. Season with salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is just cooked through — the juices run clear when the thickest piece is pierced.
2
Remove the chicken and reserve the poaching liquid. Set both aside. If roasting the tomatillos, place them under a grill or directly on a dry comal until lightly charred and softened — the skins blister and the flesh turns dull green.
3
Toast the pepitoria in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and barely golden — they must not darken enough to compromise the green colour of the finished sauce.
4
Combine the tomatillos, cebollín (entire stalks), cilantro stems and leaves, fresh green chiles, and toasted pepitoria in a blender. Add a ladleful of the reserved poaching liquid and blend to a smooth, pale-green sauce. This is where the dish lives or dies: the cebollín must dominate the aroma — if the sauce smells principally of seeds rather than green onion and herb, the balance is wrong and cannot be corrected later.
5
Pour the blended sauce into a wide pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the raw tomatillo sharpness mellows and the sauce no longer smells of uncooked herb — the colour deepens slightly and the surface begins to bubble steadily.
6
Add the pre-cooked chicken pieces to the sauce. Ladle in enough reserved poaching liquid to achieve a stew consistency — the sauce should coat the chicken without being thick like a paste. Simmer together until the chicken is heated through and the sauce clings loosely to each piece.
7
Taste for salt and adjust. Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas and white rice — the herbal vibrancy fades on prolonged standing or chilling.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Cebollín sourced from a Guatemalan or Central American market, bone-in free-range chicken, fresh tomatillos from the vine, and pepitoria toasted to order. Roast the tomatillos on a comal for added depth.
02
Estate — Whole scallions used in place of cebollín (entire stalk), good-quality bone-in chicken, fresh tomatillos, and pepitoria purchased raw and toasted at home.
03
Market — Scallions, a standard supermarket whole chicken broken down, fresh tomatillos, and pre-toasted pumpkin seeds. Sauce blended raw without roasting the tomatillos.
04
House — Scallions, bone-in chicken thighs only, tinned tomatillos drained and patted dry, pre-toasted pumpkin seeds. Acceptable for a weeknight preparation; the sauce will be lighter in body and milder in tart character.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Smell. The blended raw sauce smells primarily of green onion and fresh herb — not of seeds
◇Sight. The sauce holds a pale, bright green colour throughout cooking — darkening to an olive or brown tone indicates overcooked seeds or excessive heat
◇Smell. After the sauce is cooked briefly in the pan, the sharp raw tomatillo note has mellowed and the surface bubbles steadily
◇Touch. The finished stew coats a spoon loosely — it flows rather than holds a shape, confirming it is a sauce and not a paste
◇Where it lives or dies. The sauce must smell of cebollín and fresh herb when blended — if seeds dominate the aroma, the dish has crossed into pepián and cannot be corrected.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Fortified wine
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
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