History
New Mexico Magazine describes chicos, Spanish for small, as a staple of Southwest cooking since the days of the Ancestral Puebloans. Farmers lay ears of white sweet corn in the husk in a large horno, cover them with wet sacks and steam them overnight under a wood fire, which gives chicos their smoky flavor, then pull the husks back and hang the ears to sun dry for at least a week. Unlike posole, which is made from hulled kernels, chicos are made from whole ears. They go into stews with meat, onion and chile, and are sold at farmers' markets, local supermarkets and co-ops.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 200g dried chicos (Pueblo dried sweet corn)
- 500g pork shoulder, diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 8 cups water or chicken stock
- Salt to taste
Method
- Soak the dried chicos in cold water 4 hours or overnight. Drain.
- Brown the pork in a Dutch oven with a touch of oil. Set aside.
- Add the onion and garlic. Cook 3 minutes until softened.
- Add the chicos, pork, chile powder, oregano and water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer. Cook covered 2.5 to 3 hours until the corn is chewy and the broth is sweet.
- Adjust salt. Serve in deep bowls with warm flour tortillas.
Tip from the editors. Chicos need a long simmer: the New Mexico Magazine recipe cooks them in broth for four hours before adding the pork.
Where to eat chicos
Chicos in Albuquerque
Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Albuquerque. See where to eat Chicos in Albuquerque or the Albuquerque signature dishes guide.
More cities are in research. Want chicos covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.