Beans and Chicos. New Mexico chicos are made from local sweet corn. Once sun-dried, they’re a staple in Southwestern kitchens. Beans and chicos are a popular, simple and hearty dish made from this specialty food.
Last fall on one of my annual trips to LuLu’s Farm in Brighton, I ran across a peculiar bag of dried corn that didn’t quite look exactly like hominy.
What Are Chicos?
A trip to the counter to ask about my find revealed that I had a bag of Chicos in my hand. When I arrived home, I consulted Google and thanks to New Mexico Magazine found:
We take ears of white, sweet corn that is still in the husks, and lay them in a big horno, or outdoor adobe oven, and cover them with wet potato sacks,” says Shirley Martinez of Martinez Farms, which produces more than 100 pounds of chicos a year. “We make a hot wood fire, cover the horno completely with adobe and mud, and leave the corn to steam overnight, which gives chicos their smoky flavor. We take the corn out the next day, pull the husks all the way back, and hang them to sun-dry for at least a week.” The fruits of this fall’s labors, she says, will be sold next year.
How To Make Chicos And Beans
Continuing my search for traditional ways to serve them, most of the recipes were simple dishes of chicos and beans, using pinto beans.
- I chose to use my crock pot to make Beans and Chicos.
- Rinse the pinto beans and remove any misfits.
- In a fry pan, cook 6 slices of bacon. Cut the bacon into chunks before cooking.
- Remove most of the bacon grease and cook chopped onion in the same pan. Cook until the onions are turning tender. About 5 minutes.
- In a crock pot, add bacon grease, onions, bacon, beans and chicos.
- Cover with water by about 2 inches. Stir in chile powder. Cook on low all day or until beans and chicos are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over rice and cooked chard.
New Mexico Pinto Beans Recipe with Chicos
I hope you give this recipe for beans and chicos a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a message about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite recipe using Chicos, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Pinto Beans Recipes
Chicos and Beans
Ingredients
- 2 Cups dried pinto beans
- 1/2 Cup chicos
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 6 slices bacon chopped and cooked until just crisp
- 1 Tablespoon red chili powder New Mexico Chimayo
- 2 Tablespoons bacon grease
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- White rice cooked
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place beans and chicos in a colander and rinse well. Place the beans and chicos in your crock pot, and cover with water by two inches. Soak over night.
- In a fry pan, cook bacon until just crisp. With a slotted spoon remove bacon to a paper towel. Remove most of the bacon grease, reserving two tablespoons. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- In a crock pot, add bacon grease, onions, bacon to the chicos and beans. Stir in chile powder. Cook on low all day or until beans and chicos are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over wilted chard and cooked white rice.
Nutrition
New Mexico Pinto Beans and Chicos …They’re what’s for Dinner.
I am from northern New Mexico and this is a staple for us. I like to buy a lot of chicos to store up in my pantry for winter meals. When I purchased my chicos this year I was interested in what recipes there were on the internet. When I researched I found that only your recipe is true to what we make in New Mexico. My family has always cooked our beans and chicos with bacon, salt pork, or occasionally the ham bone from Christmas or Easter. We don’t usually make rice with ours, but serve ours like a soup with tortillas and green chili sauce on the side.
I had to stop over because I have some and figured it was time to use them! Thanks! Hope we can talk in the new year!
Question: I have some chicos from NM, want to make this recipe but no crockpot, how to make it in a dutch oven?
Northern NM my absolute favorite food after moving from east coast to Wyoming 30 years ago, replaced decades-long fav, Philly Italian! I am so happy I stumbled onto your website, a definite bookmark.
Many thanks!
Hi Nancy and thanks for your note.
I’ve never cooked chicos in a Dutch oven, but would imagine them to be similar to cooking dried beans.
Take a look at these recipe from NM Magazine: https://www.newmexico.org/nmmagazine/articles/post/little-big-corn/
Only thing I’d do differently is soak the chicos overnight. One recipe calls for cooking 4 hours and the next 1 1/2 hours.
And by the way, I’d like to try both of those recipes. 🙂 I have some Chicos in the pantry from last Fall and the pork stew seems like a great way to use them.
I happen to agree with you about New Mexico Food. Growing up in the middle of Kansas, Northern NM was an easy vacation destination. I’ve been a fan for many years and just can’t seem to get enough of those unique flavors.
Again, thanks for your note. And please let me know if you have any other questions and how those Dutch Oven Chicos turn out.
Hi, I was delighted to find a recipe for the little bag of chicos I found at the Santa Fe shop in Englewood a month or so ago. I adapted it slightly to make in the instant pot and I love how the beans are creamy and the chicos are still a little chewy in a good way, grin.
I was also delighted to find you’re Colorado based, having grown up in Evergreen myself (even though I live in New York now).
Thanks for the tasty SW recipes!
Hi Michelle! Those Chicos can be hard to find, so glad you have a bag. I couldn’t find them for a couple of years and then my market all of a sudden had them in stock last Fall. They are a treat. I appreciate your note!
I was born in Southwest Colorado and my mother always cooked beans and chico but when I moved to Tucson no one knew about chico’s so l had to go to the web of New Mexico to order my chico’s. Beans and chico are very good. Maybe someone in Tucson will sell chico because I will order what I need from out off state.
Hi Dora.
Did you mother make them similar to my recipe? I’d love any tips from an expert.
My only source for Chicos is LuLu’s Market in Brighton, CO. I found them about 3 years ago, and they didn’t have any for the next two years.
I was able to purchase a bag last month at LuLu’s. I was so glad to find them again. I’ll be making beans and chicos again and hope to get a better photo.
My wife thinks the chicos should puff up when finished, but they never seem to pop, even after many hours of cooking. Will they cook properly in a crock pot?
You can also use some of your left-over Easter ham in this. Adds great flavor!
Gorgeous! This is the great suggestion for my weekend. I love to cook this dish for my family so much, Thanks for guiding me.
You’re so welcome Denise.
The only “Chico’s” that I had ever heard of was the clothing store! LOL! THanks for introducing me to the food! Delicious! Also, thanks for the taste! Great recipe!
Sounds like a good challenge to keep you shooting and improving photos. I’d never heard of chicos – how did they turn out.
The chicos and beans sound delicious and healthy.
I’m in love with the whole idea of the challenge. I want to learn to use a camera like that. That portrait is adorable!
OK. I’ve found chicos available on several websites and I’m doing this! Looks wonderful! (As does the selfie!)
Love the selfie…did you get that in one shot with your cantankerous friend? Interesting to learn about chicos, I’d probably never see them here in our area of Florida.