Chicos
intro
Nutty, sweet dried corn slow-simmered to tender perfection, a beloved Southwestern staple with warm, earthy, comforting harvest flavors.
Ingredients
Steps
Rinse and sort chicos
Place 2 cups (300g) of dried chicos in a fine-mesh colander, sort through to remove any small debris, dried corn silk, or discolored kernels, then rinse thoroughly under cool running water for 1 minute to remove surface dust. Drain fully before use.
Sauté aromatic base
Heat a heavy-bottomed 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat (350°F/175°C stovetop setting), add 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, and once fully melted and foaming subsides, add 150g diced yellow onion. Sauté for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add 15g minced garlic, 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon (1g) Mexican dried oregano, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Combine chicos and broth
Add the rinsed, drained chicos to the Dutch oven, stir to coat every kernel fully in the spiced butter and onion mixture for 1 minute, then pour in 4 cups (960ml) low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, stirring once to combine. Bring the entire mixture to a gentle rolling boil over medium-high heat (400°F/200°C stovetop setting).
Slow simmer to tenderness
Once the mixture reaches a rolling boil, reduce heat to the lowest stovetop setting (190°F/88°C) to maintain a soft, steady simmer (no rapid bubbling), cover the Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes. Stir the chicos every 30 minutes to prevent kernels from sticking and burning on the pan bottom, until kernels are plump and tender with a slight pleasant chew, not mushy.
Season and reduce liquid
Remove the Dutch oven lid, stir in 1 teaspoon (5g) kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon (0.5g) freshly ground black pepper, and optional 1/2 cup (75g) diced roasted green chile if using, then simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes over low heat. This allows flavors to meld and excess liquid to reduce slightly to a light, brothy consistency that coats the kernels.
Rest and serve warm
Turn off the stovetop heat, let the chicos rest covered for 10 minutes off the burner to allow the corn to absorb the seasoned broth fully, then taste and add a pinch more salt if needed before serving warm as a side dish.
Tips
2.To cut total simmer time by 45 minutes, pre-soak dried chicos in cool, filtered water for 8 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator before starting the recipe.
3.Leftover chicos keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and freeze well for up to 3 months for quick, cozy side dishes on busy nights.
OMG y’all, I grew up eating chicos at my abuela’s house in northern NM and I have never been able to get the texture right until this recipe! Slow simmering for that full two hours made them so tender but not mushy, and the little hint of garlic and pork bone I threw in (per the recipe tip!) made the whole house smell like Sunday dinner. My picky 10 year old went back for thirds, total game changer for our weeknight meal rotation. Already texted this to my whole tia group chat for our next potluck!
Super easy recipe, turned out really solid as a side for our brisket cookout last weekend. Only reason I’m knocking a star is I wish it had a note about how salty the pre-packaged chicos I grabbed were — I added the full amount of salt the recipe called for and it was a little over the top for my crew. Other than that, great chew, everyone raved about it, will definitely make again just with adjusted salt. Perfect for potlucks because it holds up really well in the slow cooker on warm for hours.
SO good! I made a big batch on Sunday for meal prep and it held up perfectly all week for lunch bowls. I paired it with roasted green chile chicken and a sprinkle of cotija on top and my coworkers kept asking what I was eating because it smelled so good in the break room. Love that it’s technically easy even though it simmers for a while — I just threw it on the stove while I folded laundry and graded papers, no constant stirring required!
First time making chicos ever and I was so nervous I’d mess it up, but this recipe was so straightforward! I served it with red chile smothered burritos for my partner’s birthday dinner and his whole family (who are all from Albuquerque!) said it tasted just like the chicos they get at family gatherings out there. Cannot believe how simple this was for how much flavor it has — 10/10, will be a regular in our house.
Brought this to our neighborhood block party potluck last night and people were literally scraping the pot clean. I added a handful of roasted sweet corn and a little diced Hatch green chile to kick it up a notch and it paired so good with the grilled burgers and brats everyone brought. Multiple people asked for the recipe, I told ‘em to look it up here! So easy to make a huge batch without a ton of work.
It was good, but honestly a little plain for my taste. I know it’s traditional so I get it, but next time I’m gonna add some cumin, a little chili powder, maybe some diced yellow onion while it simmers to give it more depth. Texture was perfect though, cook time was spot on — I didn’t have any issues with tough chicos at all, just wanted a little more oomph flavor-wise. Super easy to make though, great base recipe to tweak to your own tastes.
Wait y’all I’m a broke college student and I was able to make this for under $10 total? I found a bag of dried chicos at the international market near campus, used a little chicken bouillon instead of homemade stock, and it came out SO good. My roommates and I ate almost the whole pot in one sitting with some leftover flour tortillas. Can’t believe how easy this was, no fancy skills required even for someone who burns toast half the time lmao.