Guatemalan braised chicken stew with tomatillo sauce over white rice

• Rinse the rice.

In a small sauce pot, combine the rice and 1 cup [1½ cups] lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, cover, and keep warm. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the meal.

• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel; cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Trim the root ends from the scallions; thinly slice the scallions.
• If using the jalapeño, remove the stem, ribs, and seeds; finely chop the jalapeño. Wash your hands after handling.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken, scallions, and as much jalapeño as you like and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned but not yet cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.

• Juice half the lime; cut half into wedges for garnish. [Juice 1 lime; cut 1 lime into wedges.]
• Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit, scoop out the flesh, and cut the flesh into ¼-inch-thick slices. Set aside for garnish.
• Remove any coarse stems from the cilantro sprigs. Set aside the sprigs for garnish.

To the pan with the chicken, add the tomatillo simmer sauce base, 1 tablespoon [2 TBL] lime juice, ½ cup [1 cup] water, and 1 to 2 tablespoons butter if using and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Transfer the rice to individual bowls and top with the chicken and tomatillo sauce. Garnish with the avocado, cilantro sprigs, and pumpkin seeds and serve with the lime wedges.