Sweet corn steamed in the husk in a horno (outdoor adobe oven), then sun dried, the Pueblo Indian dried corn that simmers into a chewy stew through winter.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Chicos are a Pueblo Indian heritage preparation: sweet corn is harvested in late summer, steamed in the husk in an outdoor horno oven, then sun dried for storage. The dried kernels last all winter and rehydrate slowly into a chewy, smoky-sweet stew base. Pueblo Harvest Cafe at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center serves them in seasonal posole and stew preparations.
Tip from the editors. Source dried chicos from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center gift shop or the Albuquerque farmers markets in autumn. Commercial dried corn is not the same product and will not develop the chewy texture.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Pueblo Harvest Cafe at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on 12th Street in Albuquerque is the only modern Pueblo Indian restaurant, missed by museum skippers.
Why locals love it: Inside the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center museum, missed by most visitors but the only modern Pueblo Indian restaurant in the city.
Tip: Visit at lunch when the Pueblo dancing performances run on the courtyard, then order the buffalo posole and Indian taco.
More cities are in research. Want chicos covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.