Chicken Chile Verde

OK. I have been accused of making dishes which are too complicated...Some of you might have a point. So I give you this dish...Its super simple to prepare and delicious to boot! Ha!

Homemade salsa verde is delicious and really makes this dish. If you don't have the energy to make your own (or do not have a ready supply of Tomatillos), use a store bought variety. I have used Trader Joe's and it works out really nice. But given that it is so easy to make fresh salsa verde, for far less than what you could buy at the store, I say make your own!





Ingredients
1 batch of Salsa Verde
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (remove seeds if you don't want it too spicy)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup cilantro, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1.5 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1.5 cups rich dark chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil


Directions
Cut your vegetables. A food processor really helps in this recipe! Just peel the onion, quarter it. Roughly chop the cilantro into 3 parts. Smash the garlic to remove the skin. Chuck the onion, cilantro and garlic into the food processor and blend it until the onion is diced very fine. Don't overblend it--you don't want some sort of onion soup mixture! 












Add oil to a cast iron pot (I got to use my trusty Le Creuset Flame Braiser, 3 1/2 qt) and heat. I have to say, the Le Creuset was really fantastic! Its a shallow pan, and it is perfect for braising). Add the chicken in one layer. Season with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon cumin powder. Brown the chicken on both sides and remove (You can do this in two batches if you pan isn't big enough).

Lower the heat to medium, and add the chopped onions. Add salt, pepper, the remaining (1 teaspoon) cumin powder and oregano. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the chicken drippings and pieces. Stir fry for 15 minutes, until the onions are soft and have lost their raw taste.













Add the chicken back to the pot. Add the chicken stock. Cover and cook until the chicken stock comes to a boil.

Add the salsa verde  and cook for another 30 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.













Serve with rice and tortillas.  I cook my rice in a rice cooker, but add fresh tomatoes to give the rice a little spice).

Feeling Mexican Part Uno: Salsa Verde

I had a craving for tomales and Mexican. I had never made tomales before so I thought I would challenge myself. Fortune had it that I had found a store with masa and dried corn husks, so I thought I would try my hand at tomales.

I found a very good recipe online at Epicurious, which I used. The recipe is really two parts: the chicken tomales and the salsa verde. I really bit off more than I could chew on this one. It is a big job making tomales. After my fiancee and I finished, I recall my friend Joseph mentioned that it was really a big family affair, making tomales. Usually reserved for Thanksgiving and New Years, when there are lots of extra hands around to help out! Its very labor intensive, but well worth the effort.


I will write about the salsa verde in this post, and post the tomales in a future post.

To make both the tomales and the salsa verde, you need to find a good Mexican store that will carry dried corn husks and tomatillos, the small green tomatoes that are used for the salsa. I was shopping around Berkeley, and found a lovely family owned Mexican store called Mi Tierra (My Land) that carried them. You really need the tomatillos, they really make this dish! 


Ingredients
1 lbs tomatillos, husked and rinsed
4  3in long serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1.5 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups of rich dark chicken stock
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Preheat the ol' broiler on your oven. Line a heavy baking sheet or pan with aluminum foil. Arrange the tomaillos on the sheet and place them under the broiler. Let them broil away for about 5 minutes. You should get some charred skin on the top. Flip and broil for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to your trusty food processor. Make sure to get all the pieces and all those lovely juices. Add the chilies and the garlic to the processor and blend until it is really smooth. You will see some of the black flakes appear which is fine.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the puree and boil for 5 minutes to let the flavors develop. Stir often so the bottom won't burn. Add your chicken broth. Reduce the heat to medium or medium low, and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce coats the spoon thickly. Once the sauce has reduced to  about 1 cup, season with salt. Mix in the cilantro.

You can use this for dips. I usually use it when I am making a cheese quesadilla to give it a little bit more zest. I also use this as the base for making tomales.