Photo by Andria Lo, prop styling by Jillian Knox
In El Salvador chicha is a popular drink made from any number of things, ranging from corn to pineapple. It’s fermented until fizzy and tangy—but not truly alcoholic. It’s also the key ingredient in the dish that made chef Anthony Salguero of Popoca want to cook Salvadoran food in the first place: gallo en chicha, rooster braised in a pineapple-skin chicha. For this recipe we’re using chicken, and because chicha can be hard to find, Salguero suggests combining pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar as a substitute in this recipe. If you happen to get your hands on some chicha, or go the extra mile to make it yourself, replace the pineapple juice with 2 cups chicha and reduce the vinegar to ½ cup.