Suban'ik Steamed Chicken in Chile Sauce

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-09

A Kaqchikel Maya festival dish from Comalapa. Chicken is wrapped in banana leaves with a rich sauce of guaque, pasa and chiltepe chiles and tomatoes, then steamed until meltingly tender. This Guatemalan-inspired chicken recipe (gluten-free), ready in about 130 minutes, blends bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, Roma tomatoes, tomatillos, husked into a versatile sauce that lifts everything from grain bowls and roasted vegetables to grilled proteins — a small-batch staple worth keeping in the fridge. Each serving lands at about 440 calories and feeds 6, so a small batch covers several meals across the week without taking over the fridge. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 6 Roma tomatoes
• 3 tomatillos, husked
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded
• 3 guaque (guajillo) chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 chile pasa (ancho), stemmed and seeded
• 4 chiltepe or pequín chiles
• 1 white onion, quartered
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp achiote paste
• 2 tbsp corn masa harina
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 lb package banana leaves, thawed if frozen
• for lining maxán leaves or extra banana leaves

The pan we’d use for this → Best Nonstick Cookware for 2026: Top 5 Skillet Picks + Buying Guide

Instructions

1. Step 1: Pass the banana leaves briefly over a flame or a hot burner until they turn glossy and pliable. Wipe them clean.
2. Step 2: Toast the guaque, pasa and chiltepe chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side, then soak them in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain.
3. Step 3: Char the tomatoes, tomatillos, bell pepper, onion and garlic in the skillet until blistered all over.
4. Step 4: Blend the chiles, charred vegetables, achiote, masa harina and salt until smooth. The sauce should be thick.
5. Step 5: Season the chicken lightly with salt and toss it in the sauce until coated.
6. Step 6: Line a large heatproof bowl with overlapping banana leaves, letting them hang over the rim. Add the chicken and sauce, fold the leaves over to enclose it, and tie with kitchen twine.
7. Step 7: Set the bundle on a rack in a large pot over 2 inches of simmering water. Cover tightly and steam for 1 1/2 hours, adding boiling water as needed.
8. Step 8: Open the bundle at the table and serve with tamalitos or rice.