Pan con Pollo

Method

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1. Toast all the relajo ingredients in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking constantly, until the seeds pop and everything smells nutty. Do not let the chillies blacken.

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2. Grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder, or blend with a splash of stock.

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3. Season the chicken with the salt. Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the pieces in two batches, 4 minutes a side. Set aside.

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4. Cook the onion and green pepper in the same pot for 8 minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute.

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5. Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes until collapsed, then stir in the ground relajo and cook 2 minutes.

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6. Pour in the stock, Worcestershire sauce and sugar, return the chicken, and bring to a simmer.

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7. Cover and cook gently 50 minutes, until the meat falls from the bone.

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8. Lift the chicken out, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Blend the sauce smooth with a stick blender and simmer 10 minutes until it coats a spoon, then return the meat.

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9. Split the rolls and spread with mayonnaise. Dip the cut faces briefly in the sauce — this is the step that makes it pan con pollo.

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10. Fill with the chicken, curtido, tomato, radish, cucumber and watercress, and eat over a plate.

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Chef’s Tips

• Toast the relajo properly and grind it fresh. Bought chilli powder is not the same thing.
• Dip the bread. It sounds wrong and it is the recipe.
• The chicken is better made a day ahead, which also makes the assembly a ten-minute job.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock makes this meat-free without changing the method, if that is what you need.

Pairing Suggestions

• Curtido
• A cold Pilsener
• Fried plantain

Storage & Reheating

The chicken keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes for 3 months. Assemble the sandwiches to order.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.