Chicken with Loroco in Cream Sauce

Bit by bit, I’m starting to learn more about traditional Guatemalan cuisine. This dish is an excellent example. It seems like such a basic dish, but the combination of Loroco and cream makes it outstanding! I have never experienced a flavor like it!

I had never eaten Loroco until recently, when I had the good fortune to drop in at the end of a cooking class in “Guatemalan Cuisine” that was being given to the women of the Grupo Femenino Ix-canaan. They gave me a sample of each of the three chicken dishes they prepared that day, and the Pollo con Loroco con Crema was by far the most delicious! I decided in that moment that its unique flavor merited further investigation.

Loroco, called Quilite (meaning “edible herb”), in Mayan, are small, green, unopened flower buds, used as a flavoring agent in Central American cuisine. They are cultivated here in Guatemala, and available at the local market right now. Good timing. I picked some up so I could practice (and eat more of) this dish.

Chicken with Loroco in Cream Sauce
(Pollo con Loroco en Salsa de Crema)

Ingredients:

1 chicken leg cut into thighs and drumsticks
4 medium potatoes
1 onion
1/2 sweet red pepper
1 tomato
thyme
bay leaves
1 cup of loroco buds
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt, pepper, garlic powder (I couldn’t find the fresh garlic at the last moment)

Instructions:

1. Chop onion, 1/2 sweet pepper and tomato and begin to saute in about 2 Tbsp olive oil.
2. Add the sprig of thyme and the bay leaf.
3. Saute until onion becomes translucent, and add chicken pieces to pan.

4. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.
5. Cube potatoes; Add to mixture in pan and mix well.

6. Add about 1 cup water.

7. Cover pan; Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

8. Add loroco to the pan; stir in; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Add cream to the mixture; stir; heat gently

10. Serve with rice.

The Verdict:

Ricisima!!! I will definitely be making more of this dish, and the flavor of the Loroco was so delicious, that I don’t think it would be too much to double it (2 cups) next time I make it.