Chile's iconic summer casserole — a savory pino meat filling of beef, chicken, olives and egg blanketed under a thick, golden fresh-corn crust.
Pastel de choclo is the most beloved comfort dish of the Chilean table, a layered casserole that arrives at the table in its individual clay pot (paila de greda), the corn crust bronzed and caramelized, hiding a richly spiced meat filling underneath. 'Choclo' is the Quechua word for fresh maize, and the crust is made by grating or processing fresh corn kernels — never canned, never frozen — into a coarse paste cooked with butter, basil and milk until thick enough to mound on top of the filling without sinking. The filling, called pino, is the same savory mixture used inside Chilean empanadas: ground beef sautéed with onion, cumin, paprika, ají de color (Chilean merquén-spiced red pepper paste) and a handful of raisins that add a gentle sweetness. Each serving traditionally receives a boiled egg quarter, two or three black olives and a piece of poached chicken buried under the corn layer, so every spoonful reveals different textures and flavors. The dish is a fixture of Chilean Independence Day celebrations on September 18th and summer asados, served in individual clay pots that retain heat and give the corn crust its characteristic sticky, creamy bottom. A pinch of sugar on top before baking caramelizes the crust to a deep amber — the sign of a properly finished pastel de choclo.
Serves 6
Place chicken thighs in a small pot, cover with water, add salt and a bay leaf. Simmer 20 minutes until cooked through. Remove, cool and shred the meat discarding skin and bone. Reserve the broth.
Cooling the chicken in the broth keeps it moist.
Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Sauté onions until soft and golden, about 12 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned. Season with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir in raisins and 3 tbsp of the reserved chicken broth. Simmer 5 minutes.
The raisins are traditional and non-optional — they balance the savory spices with sweetness.
Process corn kernels in a food processor or blender to a coarse paste (some texture is desirable). Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the corn paste, milk and basil. Cook, stirring constantly, 10–12 minutes until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Season with salt.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Divide the pino filling among 6 individual clay pots or a large baking dish. Place pieces of shredded chicken, egg quarters and 2 olives on each portion. Spoon the corn paste generously over the top to cover completely, smoothing the surface.
Wet your spoon to spread the corn paste more easily.
Sprinkle a pinch of sugar over each pot. Bake 25–30 minutes until the corn crust is deeply golden and caramelized on top.
Let the pasteles rest 5 minutes before serving. Bring the clay pots directly to the table — they retain heat beautifully.
Use only fresh corn in season — canned corn has too much moisture and insufficient starch to make a firm crust.
The corn paste must be cooked until very thick before it goes on top; under-cooked paste sinks into the filling.
Traditional Chilean pino uses ají de color, a mild red pepper paste found in Latin grocery stores — smoked paprika is the closest substitute.
Clay pots (paila de greda) are worth finding for this dish — they brown the bottom of the corn crust in a way no baking dish can match.
Pastel de choclo vegetariano: replace pino with sautéed mushrooms, squash and spinach with the same spices.
Pastel de pollo: use only shredded chicken for the filling, no ground beef — common in coastal Chilean homes.
Choclo topping with cheese: add a thin layer of grated queso fresco under the corn paste for extra richness.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in a 180°C oven for 15 minutes — microwave reheating makes the corn crust rubbery.
Pastel de choclo has deep pre-Columbian roots: the Mapuche people of central Chile cooked fresh corn paste with meat in clay pots long before Spanish colonization. The Spanish addition of beef, olives and raisins — classic ingredients of the Arab-influenced Moorish cooking that shaped Spanish cuisine — created the distinctive pino filling that defines the modern dish. By the 19th century, pastel de choclo appeared in Chilean cookbooks as a regional classic, and it remains the most recognized emblem of Chilean home cooking today.
Frozen corn works in an emergency, but the crust will be wetter and less cohesive. Thaw and drain frozen corn thoroughly, then cook the paste 5 minutes longer than the recipe says to evaporate the extra moisture. Fresh seasonal corn gives a far superior, naturally sweet crust.
The corn paste was not cooked long enough before assembly. It must be thick enough to hold its shape when a spoon is dragged across the surface. Cook it until the paste is almost stiff — it will soften slightly in the oven.
Ají de color is a mild Chilean red pepper paste, similar in heat to paprika but with more fruitiness. It is sold in jars in Latin American grocery stores. Smoked paprika or a 50/50 mix of sweet paprika and a tiny amount of cayenne is a workable substitute.
Yes — the traditional recipe contains no flour or wheat products. The corn paste is the binder, and the pino filling uses only vegetables, meat and spices. Verify any store-bought ají de color or spice blends are gluten-free if serving to someone with celiac disease.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) · 6 servings total
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