Best Spicy Grilled Chicken With Pumpkin Seed Sauce Recipes

SPICY GRILLED CHICKEN WITH PUMPKIN-SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add pumpkin seeds; cook, stirring often, until puffed, about 5 minutes. Add lettuce, vinegar, and 1 cup water; season with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until lettuce is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a blender; add cilantro. Blend on high speed until sauce is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Thin sauce with 2 to 4 tablespoons more water, if needed (it should be pourable).
• Meanwhile, heat grill to medium high; oil grates. Rub chicken with remaining tablespoon oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve with sauce.

CHICKEN IN PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a pot with just enough water to cover. Sprinkle with salt, and add the peppercorns, bay leaves, quartered onion and herb bundle. Bring to a low boil, and then reduce the heat and poach the chicken until cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the chicken, straining the stock, and then wipe the pot clean and return to the heat. Peel the skin off the chicken breasts and cover to keep warm until the sauce is ready. Dry toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat until puffed and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the toasted seeds for garnish. Puree the remaining seeds in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of the stock, the chopped onion, EVOO, cumin, epazote, if using, cinnamon, tomatillos, lettuce, garlic and chiles. Transfer the pumpkin seed puree to the pot with 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the reserved chicken stock and simmer to develop flavor and thicken, 20 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnishreserved toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve with warm corn tortillas, for wrapping, and minced red onion, for topping. If you would like to serve with a vegetable, steamed or sauteed zucchini is perfect.

CHICKEN IN GREEN PUMPKIN-SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• For chicken:
• Bring all ingredients to boil in large pot. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl; cover to keep warm. Reserve chicken broth in pot; spoon off fat from surface.
• Meanwhile, begin sauce:
• Heat heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pepitas; stir frequently until seeds puff and begin to pop, about 15 minutes (do not brown). Transfer to dish; cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons pepitas for garnish. Working in batches, finely grind remaining pepitas with peppercorns in spice mill or coffee grinder.
• Puree tomatillos, next 5 ingredients, and 1/2 cup reserved chicken broth in blender until almost smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo mixture and simmer until sauce is thick and reduced to 1 cup, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add ground pepita mixture. Stir constantly until mixture resembles very coarse paste and begins to color in spots, about 9 minutes. Add tomatillo mixture; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups reserved chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thick, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes longer. Season sauce to taste with salt. Spoon some sauce onto platter. Top with chicken. Spoon remaining sauce over. Garnish with reserved 2 tablespoons pepitas.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH PUMPKIN SEED SALSA

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the cumin, coriander, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spiced oil all over the chicken pieces and place on a foil-lined shallow-rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the chicken is golden brown and crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest parts registers 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, toast the pepitas in a large dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the cilantro, lime juice, chiles, onions, remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt and toss together.
• 3. Arrange the chicken pieces on a platter and serve with the bowl of salsa on the side, accompanied by Mexican rice and black beans.

SPICY GRILLED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY PUMPKIN MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chile pieces; toast until aromatic and lighter in color around edges, pressing with potato masher or back of fork and turning pieces, about 2 minutes. Set aside one 2-inch piece of chile for garnish; transfer remaining pieces to medium bowl. Cover chiles in bowl with hot water; soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
• In same large pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion rings and garlic. Sauté until brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to processor, leaving oil in pot. Add bread slice to pot; cook until golden, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer bread to processor (reserve pot). Add tomatoes to processor. Puree mixture until smooth. Transfer tomato puree to small bowl (do not clean processor).
• Drain ancho chiles and place in processor. Add 1/2 cup broth and 2 chipotle chiles. Puree until smooth.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to reserved pot. Heat over medium-high heat. Add ancho chile puree; cook until puree thickens and darkens, stirring often, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add tomato puree. Simmer until thick, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Whisk in pumpkin and 3 cups broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until mole thickens and reduces to 3 1/3 cups, about 30 minutes. Whisk in cream and sugar. Season to taste with salt.
• Puree 2 tablespoons oil and 2 chipotle chiles in small processor or force through sieve to make thick glaze. Transfer to bowl. (Mole and glaze can be made 3 days ahead. Cover separately and chill.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Rewarm mole. Spread chipotle glaze thinly over both sides of chicken breasts. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt. Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon mole over each. Crumble reserved ancho chile piece; sprinkle over chicken. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime.
• *Dried ancho chiles and chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

SPICED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Combine the margarine, salt, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in shallow baking dish.
• Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH PUMPKIN SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
• In a blender, puree pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth (hold top firmly as blender will be quite full). Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish.
• Lay tortillas on work surface; mound chicken mixture on half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in baking dish.
• Pour remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese. Place dish on a baking sheet; bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.