Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala

Friday, April 3, 2015

If you visit my town, I hope you like CHICKEN

It didn't take me long after moving to Panajachel to get very tired of chicken. The traditional Guatemalan meal served in restaurants is some variation of it. Grilled chicken seasoned lightly served with black beans, rice, a little side of guacamole and cooked vegetables. The seasoning is what defines the chicken on the menu but seriously, after a few times it all tastes the same to me.

One restaurant (with the unfortunate name of The Last Resort) we go to often, and we like to take guests who visit since the food is so fabulous.

I will order the chicken because the sauce they serve with it is different and distinctive: Italian or curry or some other thing that is always delicious. Plus they don't bother with the black beans and rice but instead give a half dozen sides of vegetables, cooked or raw and seasoned to perfection. It's the only place I order chicken any more.

But I do love fried chicken, available everywhere, on corner stands and in tiny walk-in cafes specializing in fried chicken (pollo frito) and french fries (papas fritas).


One must be careful where you buy fried chicken, as I've seen it setting out for hours. Wait around until the cook puts fresh pieces out before you buy. I've never tasted fried chicken as delicious as the Guatemalans make it.

19 comments:

  1. I remember that same sense of 'oh no not again' in Jamaica. Morros et Cristos I think they called it (Moors and Christians - black beans and rice). Ah well, I suppose it'd be even tougher if you are mostly a vegetarian! How about fish? Do they serve fish?

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    1. Jan, You'd think fish would be plentiful and inexpensive due to the lake and then the ocean too, but it isn't. It's much more expensive than chicken. Vegetarians would do fine since beans, rice and tortillas is the main fare everywhere, prepared a number of ways.

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  2. I love chicken, so I'd be in Heaven! That plate at The Last Resort looks delicious.

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  3. LOL! I love the name of that restaurant. I do enjoy chicken, but too much of anything can become wearisome. The plate with all the veggies looks amazing, though. :)

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  4. I love chicken but I would want to switch it up a bit. And that sitting in the sun stuff? Oh dear.

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  5. I'd stay with the Last Resort too :) Sounds yummy. The picture shows it to perfection.

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  6. Hi Karen - I love chicken - but all things in moderation ... and I can't take an overload of food - and I guess you'd need to be careful of street cooked food ..

    Looks delicious though - and how strange about fish being so expensive .. cheers Hilary

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  7. I could eat chicken any time. Your town sounds like my kind of place. :)

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  8. We eat tons of chicken but I love to try the different ways restaurants prepare it.

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  9. I like chicken, but I'm definitely more of a red meat kinda girl.

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  10. The Last Resort, what a name for a restaurant!
    Fish is not always cheap here in Greece. I think sometimes we forget that catching fish is not easy, rearing chickens on dry land is relatively straightforward.

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    1. Mark, That makes perfect sense! I hadn't looked at it like that before but you are right, of course.

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  11. I love chicken - I could handle any amount of the rice and bean version rather than the fried, though.

    Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

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  12. Chicken is good but I would not want it every day. The meal you showed looks delicious

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  13. For some reason, suddenly chicken dishes make me ill...an allergic reaction I have been told. Sad.

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  14. Fried Chicken is the God of foods. Which is why it was my post for the day as well!
    I've often wondered about food safety in other countries. I always see markets with meat hanging in the open air and lots of flies about.
    I would be a bit worried.

    Bushman
    2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
    @jwb81074

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  15. Ooh, I do like chicken but I've never had it like that before. :-)

    Cait @ Click's Clan

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  16. Pollo frito and papas fritas bring back wonderful memories from my time in Colombia many years ago. Chicken has always been a staple in our house, but I do get in the habit of fixing it the same way all of the time. So easy to do.

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Comments are welcome!