Best Pollo Oaxaca Recipes

OAXACAN CHILLIED CHICKEN/POLLO ENCHILADO OAXAQUENO

Steps:

• First add the 2 quarts water to a pot with half the onion, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and the chicken pieces cover and cook for 45 minutes or until meat is tender but not falling of the bone. Set aside. I usually do this in the early afternoon right after lunch. Set aside
• About an hour before dinner time I add 1/2 the oil called for to a large skillet and heat it up some. I add the dried guajillo peppers and fry over a medium flame taking extreme care not to burn them. This is a tricky step as the chiles can burn very fast you must watch them closely and keep turning them over a very low flame or have your electric burner on medium low. Chiles should be turned until they become pliable not soft just pliable about 3 to 5 miniutes. Remove to a dish and add the one large fresh jalapeno or hot green pepper fry on all sides about 3 minutes remove and place with the dried guajillos.
• Next add the fried Guajillos, fried green pepper, half remaining onion, remaining garlic clove, vinegar, quartered tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and one cup broth. Blend in blender on high until all is liquified.
• Next strain the blended chile mixture and discard any residue. Heat the remaining oil in a large pot until shimmering add the chile mixture to the the oil and fry. Be careful it will sputter. lower the flame and stir the simmering chile taste if it needs more salt. Add cumin powder, oregano, dried avocado leaves optional, Add chicken pieces and another two large spoonfuls of chicken broth or about a 1/4 to a 1/2 of a cup. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
• Serve alongside your favorite Mexican rice side dish. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top of your chicken.
• Toasted sesame seeds: Heat a small fry pan add the sesame seeds and over a low flame toast until seeds become golden about 3 to 4 minutes sprinkle on chicken after serving. Buen appetite. PS please do not use any other fresh avocado or dried avacado leaves if you have a tree. The avocado leaves I am talking about are one kind of avocado found and grown in Mexico and that is edible. They can be bought dried and as I mentioned before sold under the brand name "El Guapo"or you can order and buy on line I believe Amazon carries them. DON'T USE ANY OTHER KIND OF AVACADO LEAVES.

MOLE NEGRO OAXAQUENO: OAXACAN BLACK MOLE

Steps:

• In a 2 gallon stockpot, heat 5 quarts water and onions, celery, and carrots to a boil. Add chicken pieces and poach, covered, over low heat for about 35 to 45 minutes, until cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the meat from the stock. Strain and reserve the stock.
• Heat 2 quarts of water in a kettle. On a 10-inch dry comal, griddle, or in a cast-iron frying pan, toast the chiles over medium heat until blackened, but not burnt, about 10 minutes. Place the chiles in a large bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 1/2 hour. Remove the chiles from the soaking water with tongs, placing small batches in a blender with 1/4 cup of the chile soaking water to blend smooth. Put the chile puree through a strainer to remove the skins.
• In the same dry comal, griddle, or frying pan, grill the onion and garlic over medium heat for 10 minutes. Set aside. Toast the almonds, peanuts, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves in a dry comal, griddle or cast-iron frying pan for about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan.
• Over the same heat, toast the chile seeds, taking care to blacken but not burn them, about 20 minutes. Try to do this outside or in a well-ventilated place because the seeds will give off very strong fumes. When the seeds are completely black, light them with a match and let them burn themselves out. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Soak the blackened seeds in 1 cup of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds and grind them in a blender for about 2 minutes. Add the blended chile seeds to the blended chile mixture.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in an 8-inch cast-iron frying pan over medium heat until smoking. Add the raisins and fry them until they are plump, approximately 1 minute. Remove from the pan. Fry the bread slice in the same oil until browned, about 5 minutes, over medium heat. Remove from pan. Fry the plantain in the same oil until it is well browned, approximately 10 minutes, over medium heat. Set aside. Fry the sesame seeds, stirring constantly over low heat, adding more oil if needed. When the sesame seeds start to brown, about 5 minutes, add the pecans and brown for 2 minutes more. Remove all from the pan, let cool, and grind finely in a spice grinder. It takes a bit of time, but this is the only way to grind the seeds and nuts finely enough.
• Wipe out the frying pan and fry the tomatoes, tomatillos, thyme, and oregano over medium to high heat, allowing the juices to almost evaporate, about 15 minutes. Blend well, using 1/2 cup of reserved stock if needed to blend and set aside. Place the nuts, bread, plantains, raisins, onion, garlic and spices in the blender in small batches, and blend well, adding about 1 cup of stock to make it smooth.
• In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of lard or oil until smoking and fry the chile paste over medium to low heat, stirring constantly so it will not burn, approximately 20 minutes. When it is dry, add the tomato puree and fry until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the ground ingredients, including the sesame seed paste, to the pot. Stir constantly with a wooden soon until well-incorporated, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken stock to the mole, stir well, and allow to cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Break up the chocolate and add to the pot, stirring until it is melted and incorporated into the mixture.
• Toast the avocado leaf briefly over the flame if you have a gas range or in a dry frying pan and then add it to the pot. Slowly add more stock to the mole, as it will keep thickening as it cooks. Add enough salt to bring out the flavor. Let simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick, adding stock as needed. The mole should not be thick; just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Place the cooked chicken pieces in the leftover stock in a saucepan and heat through.
• To serve, place a piece of chicken in a shallow bowl and ladle 3/4 of a cup of mole sauce over to cover it completely. Serve immediately with lots of hot corn tortillas.
• You can use oil instead of lard to fry the mole, but the flavor will change dramatically. In our pueblo, people traditionally use turkey instead of chicken, and sometimes add pieces of pork and beef to enhance the flavor. You can use leftover mole and chicken meat to make Enmoladas or Tamales Oazaquenos made with banana leaves.
• Inspired by Maria Taboada and Paula Martinez