Seco de Pollo is a vibrant Ecuadorian-style chicken stew that’s big on flavor and naturally Weight Watchers-friendly. Its rich green sauce—made with blended cilantro, broth, and yellow chili pepper—gives it a fresh, herby kick without piling on points. No potatoes here, but you won’t miss them!
This hearty stew is ready in less than an hour and comes in at just 1 Point per serving. Looking for more easy and satisfying meals? Be sure to check out our other Weight Watchers dinner recipes!
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: 400 g.
- Number of Servings: 4
- Time to Cook: 45 minutes
- 1 WW Point Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)
Ingredients in Ecuadorian-Style Chicken Stew
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup diced red onion (130 g.)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (15 ml)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds (1 cup, 120 g.)
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth (600 ml)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro (1 packed cup, 20 g.)
- 1 bunch fresh culantro (1 packed cup, 20 g.) – or use double the cilantro if culantro is unavailable
- 1 yellow chili pepper, diced (1/3 cup, 40 g.)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar (15 ml)
- 1 cup green peas (120 g.), optional
Instructions for making Ecuadorian-Style Chicken Stew
- Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and ground cumin. Rub the seasoning in well, making sure each piece is coated. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Brown it for about 6 minutes per side or until golden on the outside. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
- In the same pot, without cleaning it, add the diced red onion and yellow chili. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until the onion softens and becomes fragrant. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sliced carrots and return the browned chicken to the pot.
- Blend the chicken broth and vinegar with the bunches of cilantro and culantro until smooth and green. Pour this mixture into the pot and stir well to coat all the ingredients. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot partially, and let the stew simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using green peas, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Check that the chicken is fully cooked and that the sauce has slightly thickened. Adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving. Enjoy hot.
Tips and Tricks Section for Ecuadorian-Style Chicken Stew
If you make good stews, this will be a piece of cake for you:
- Using native ingredients really gives this stew its characteristic flavor. In the case of yellow peppers, which are the most important, they can be found in Latin American specialty stores in paste form, although you can probably also find fresh or frozen peppers —all work well for the recipe.
- Sacha culantro is an aromatic herb whose flavor is very similar to cilantro. If you can find it, perfect; if not, you can use fresh cilantro. Finally, I haven’t used chicha de jora, but rather a splash of white vinegar to add acidity.
- Brown the chicken well, about 6 minutes on each side. Once you add the broth —which is a green blend with cilantro— cook it half-covered over low heat, because stews benefit greatly from slow cooking.
More Delicious Stew Recipes
Seco de Pollo (Ecuadorian-style chicken stew)
A hearty and flavorful South American chicken dish
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup diced red onion, 130 g.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 15 ml
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds (1 cup, 120 g.)
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth, 600 ml
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, 1 packed cup, 20 g.
- 1 bunch fresh culantro, 1 packed cup, 20 g. – or use double the cilantro if culantro is unavailable
- 1 yellow chili pepper, diced (1/3 cup, 40 g.)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 15 ml
- 1 cup green peas, 120 g., optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and ground cumin. Rub the seasoning in well, making sure each piece is coated. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Brown it for about 6 minutes per side or until golden on the outside. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
- In the same pot, without cleaning it, add the diced red onion and yellow chili. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until the onion softens and becomes fragrant. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sliced carrots and return the browned chicken to the pot.
- Blend the chicken broth and vinegar with the bunches of cilantro and culantro until smooth and green. Pour this mixture into the pot and stir well to coat all the ingredients. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot partially, and let the stew simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using green peas, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Check that the chicken is fully cooked and that the sauce has slightly thickened. Adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving. Enjoy hot.
Notes
1 WW Point per serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 421gCalories: 292kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 42gFat: 8.1gSaturated Fat: 1.5gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 1228mgPotassium: 799mgFiber: 3.4gSugar: 4.9gCalcium: 40mgIron: 1.5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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