Chicken and Cheese Pupusas

These pupusas are a high-protein, lower-fat alternative to the traditional version, using lean chicken breast and part-skim cheese wrapped in a wholesome corn dough.

Ingredients

Calories next to each ingredient are for that ingredient across the whole recipe (12 servings), not per serving.

• 16 oz ground chicken breast · 597 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil · 86 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1/2 lb part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated · 465 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced · 14 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 garlic clove, minced · 5 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 medium green pepper, seeded and minced · 19 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped · 17 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 cups instant masa harina (corn flour) · 1497 kcal in the whole recipe
• 6 cups water

Method

1. Sauté the ground chicken in vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over low heat until it turns white. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, and tomato, cooking until the chicken is fully cooked through, then let the mixture cool in the refrigerator.

   

2. In a large bowl, mix the masa harina with water, stirring until you get a stiff, pliable, tortilla-like dough. Once the chicken mixture has cooled, stir in the grated cheese.

   

3. Divide the dough into 24 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and flatten it into a 1/2-inch thick circle.

   

4. Place a spoonful of the chicken and cheese mixture in the center of each dough circle, bring the edges to the center to seal, and gently flatten again into a 1/2-inch thick disc.

   

5. Heat a dry, heavy iron skillet or griddle over high heat. Cook the pupusas for a few minutes on each side until they are golden brown and cooked through, then serve hot.

   

Adapted from a USDA MyPlate Kitchen recipe (public domain). Portions, macros, diet checks and step photos by Besly.