Panes con pollo

Ingredients

The chicken

• 1.5 kgchicken pieces
• on the bone
• salt and pepper
• oil, to brown

The relajo

• 4dried guajillo chillies
• 2dried pasilla chillies
• 3 tablespoonssesame seeds
• 3 tablespoonspumpkin seeds
• 1 teaspooncumin seed
• 1 teaspoonoregano
• 2bay leaves
• 4cloves
• 1 stickcinnamon

The sauce

• 6tomatoes
• 2onions, quartered
• 6garlic cloves
• 500 mlchicken stock
• salt

To assemble

• 6crusty rolls
• watercress
• sliced cucumber
• sliced radish
• pickled vegetables
• mayonnaise, optional
• mustard, optional

Directions

1. Heat a dry heavy pan over medium heat. Tear them open and shake out the seeds. Leave some in for a lot more heat. Press the chillies into the hot pan. Give them about twenty seconds a side. Take them out at exactly that point. Cover the toasted chillies with hot water. Let them soak for twenty minutes.
2. Keep all of the soaking water. The water takes up flavour as well. Toast the sesame seeds in the dry pan. Stir them constantly throughout. Take them off when they are golden. Sesame takes about three minutes. Tip it all out at once when done. Toast the pumpkin seeds the same way.
3. Use a lid or a splatter guard. They are done when they stop popping. Toast the cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Give them about one full minute. Grind all the toasted seeds and spices. Grind them to a very fine powder. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy pot. Brown the chicken on all sides.
4. Work in batches rather than crowding. Do it in a dry pan or under a grill. Let them blacken in dark patches. Do not burn them entirely though.
5. Put the soaked chillies in a blender. Add the charred vegetables to them. Add the ground spice mixture in. Add some of the soaking water. Blend it to a completely smooth sauce. Blend it far longer than seems needed. Add liquid to keep it turning. Chilli skins do not blend fully. Press it through with a spoon. Pour the sauce into the pot with the chicken.
6. Let it fry for about five minutes. Stir it so that it does not catch. Add all of the stock to the pot. Season the whole pot with salt. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cover it and then let it cook. Give it about forty-five minutes.
7. Pull at the meat with a fork tine. It should come away quite easily. Use chicken thighs if you can. Lift the chicken out to cool a little. Pull all the meat off the bones. Shred it into large loose pieces. Leave it in substantial pieces. Let the sauce simmer uncovered.
8. Reduce it until it coats a spoon. It should cling well to the meat. Stir the shredded chicken back in. Let it warm through in the sauce. Spread mayonnaise or mustard if using. Dip the cut sides in the sauce.
9. Dip it rather than just spooning sauce in. Pile the saucy chicken into the roll. Add plenty of watercress to it. Add cucumber and radish slices. Add the pickled vegetables too. Serving it is always done immediately. Assemble every sandwich fresh.

Technique

• The atlas carries both panes con pollo and pan con pavo because both have their own name in El Salvador and both are made regularly — they are two versions of one sandwich, turkey being the Christmas one and chicken the everyday and fundraiser one. The method is essentially the same and the atlas says so plainly rather than pretending they are unrelated.
• Toast every element of the relajo separately, since they toast at very different rates: chillies take about twenty seconds a side and burn bitter beyond that, sesame goes from golden to black in moments, and pumpkin seeds puff and jump out of the pan — use a lid, and they are done when they stop popping.
• It is a wet sandwich by design: the cut sides of the bread are dipped in the sauce rather than just having sauce spooned in. Reduce the sauce until it coats a spoon but stays loose enough to soak the bread.

Substitutions

• Use chicken thighs rather than breast, since they suit a long braise far better and breast dries out.
• Some versions use mayonnaise and mustard on the bread and others neither; both are made in El Salvador.

Variations

• They are sold at church fundraisers, made in quantity by groups to raise money, which is a genuine social institution, and eaten particularly on Sundays after church.
• Keep the chilli soaking water and use it in the sauce, since it takes up flavour too.
• Radish gives a peppery bite along with crunch and colour and is characteristic of this sandwich rather than optional.

History

Chicken braised in relajo and stuffed into bread with salad and radish, sold at church fundraisers and on Sundays.

Frequently asked questions

What is Panes con pollo?

Panes con pollo is a street food from El Salvador: chicken sandwich soaked in tomato sauce with watercress. Chicken braised in relajo and stuffed into bread with salad and radish, sold at church fundraisers and on Sundays.

How long does Panes con pollo take to make?

Panes con pollo takes 40 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Panes con pollo?

Yes, within limits. Use chicken thighs rather than breast, since they suit a long braise far better and breast dries out. Some versions use mayonnaise and mustard on the bread and others neither; both are made in El Salvador.

What is the most important thing to get right in Panes con pollo?

Work in batches rather than crowding. Do it in a dry pan or under a grill. Let them blacken in dark patches. Do not burn them entirely though.