Best Poached Chicken Breasts With Tomatillos And Jalapeños Recipes

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATILLOS AND JALAPENOS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the grill.
• Place the tomatillos and jalapenos on the grill and cook until the skins char and blister, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tomatillos and jalapenos from the grill and let cool.
• Coat a large, wide straight-sided saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt. Add the chicken legs and thighs, skin-side down, to the hot pan. Brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove from the pan and reserve.
• Ditch the excess fat from the pan and add a few drops of new oil. Add the onions, season with salt and cook until the onions are very soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, coarsely chop the tomatillos and reserve. Chop the jalapenos into 1/4-inch dice and reserve with the tomatillos. If you want to tone down the heat, remove the seeds from the jalapenos before chopping.
• Add the garlic to the pan with the onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the reserved tomatillos and jalapenos. Stir to combine and add the chicken stock, lime juice and zest. Taste and season with salt if needed (it probably will).
• Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid and let cook for 15 more minutes. This will allow the stock to reduce. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• For the sour cream: Combine the sour cream with the lime zest and juice and reserve.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and stir in the cilantro.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve with the lime sour cream.
• Beverage Pairing Suggestion: Light Lager

CHICKEN TAMALES WITH TOMATILLO-CILANTRO SAUCE

Steps:

• Poach and shred the chicken:
• Combine the onion, garlic, salt, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, bay leaves, and oregano and decrease the heat to a simmer. Cook the chicken, partially covered, for 35 minutes, or until cooked through. To check for doneness, slit the chicken in half to make sure the interior is no longer pink.
• Allow the chicken to cool in the broth. When cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the pan. Strain and reserve the broth. Shred the chicken by hand by pulling apart the fibers of the chicken with your fingers and set aside.
• Make the Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce:
• Combine the tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro, garlic, and water in a blender and purée until well blended.
• Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté until the onion is limp and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatillo mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
• Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir to coat. Allow to cook for 3 more minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Set aside.
• Prepare the corn husks
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil then remove from heat. Add the corn husks, making sure to submerge them under water, and cover the pot. Soak the corn husks in the pot for 20 minutes. They should be soft and flexible, and take on a deep beige color. Remove the corn husks from the water and wrap them in a damp paper towel until you are ready to use them.
• Prepare the tamal dough:
• To make the masa, combine the masa harina with 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth and mix well. The masa should have the consistency of a stiff dough. Set aside.
• Put the lard in a mixing bowl. Beat the lard with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add half of the masa and beat until well blended. Add the 3 tablespoons of the reserved chicken broth and the remaining masa and continue beating until a teaspoon of the dough dropped into a cup of cold water floats, about 10 minutes. If after 15 minutes of constant beating your dough does not float, move on (despite it not floating, the dough will be fine).
• Sprinkle the baking powder and the salt over the dough and mix in well.
• Assemble the tamales:
• Place a corn husk lengthwise in front of you with the wide side closest to you. Spread 2 tablespoons of the dough all over the bottom half (wide side) of the corn husk, leaving about a 1-inch-wide border on the left and right sides.
• Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling lengthwise down the center of the dough. Pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and unite them. Allow the dough to surround the filling by pinching together the corn husk where the dough comes together. Roll both sides of the corn husks in the same direction over the tamal. Fold down the empty top section of the cornhusk and secure it by tying a thin strip of corn husk around the tamal (the top will be open).
• Repeat this process until all the corn husks or tamal dough are used up.
• Steam the tamales:
• Create a tamal steamer by crumpling a large piece of aluminum foil into a large ball. Place the foil ball in the center of a large saucepan and arrange the tamales "standing up" around it. You can stand tamales in front of each other; just make sure that the open end of the tamal is facing upward.
• Pour in 1/2 inch of water. Cover tightly with a lid and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Serve:
• Serve warm accompanied by Mexican crema.

CHICKEN BREAST WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO SAUCE

Steps:

• Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet or baking pan and roast tomatillos and jalapeno or chilies under a hot broiler, 4 inches or so from the heat source, 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are blistered and splotchy brown with, maybe, a few black spots. Turn them and roast on the other side. Cool, then transfer tomatillos and chilies to a food processor fitted with the metal blade or blender along with any of the juices on the pan. Process or puree until smooth.
• Meanwhile, over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, about 6 minutes until golden brown. Raise heat to medium high, add tomatillo puree and cook 3 minutes until sauce darkens and is very thick. Add broth, brown sugar and 1/4 cup cilantro. Stir, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.
• Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-proof skillet large enough to hold chicken in one layer. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook 5 minutes until skin is richly browned. Turn and cook on bone side 2 minutes or so. Remove chicken from pan and pour out all but 1 tablespoon fat. Add tomatillo sauce and bring to a simmer. Nestle chicken pieces, skin side up, in the sauce, place in preheated 375-degree oven and bake 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. (Check with point of a small knife near the bone to make sure chicken is cooked through.)
• Place one piece of chicken in each of four shallow bowls, spoon sauce around, top with crema or queso fresco and sprinkle remaining cilantro over.

COOKED CHICKEN FOR RECIPES - BAREFOOT CONTESSA STYLE

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts on baking sheet with sides (to catch the grease), skin side up.
• Rub olive oil on breasts, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake at 350º for 45 minutes.
• Cool, then chop or slice to use in your recipes.