Chicken with tomatillos, poblanos, and Anaheims
Sometimes I live a little on the edge. I've been known to remove those labels on pillows that say "do not remove under penalty of law". I've also "topped off" a few times at the gas pump.
And, making this wonderful dish last night, I wasn't able to remove every bit of skin on the poblanos and Anaheim peppers, but no one noticed. This recipe takes time — but it is so worth it. The flavors were new to me. I will come back.
Having some leftover brown and wild rice made it a little easier. I didn't use one of the standard ways to roast the chilies — 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes then put the whole chilies in a bag to steam before removing the skins under running water when they are cool enough to handle. This might have worked better than the method I used.
I cut each one in half lengthwise, seeded them, then flattened the halves skin side up on a baking sheet. I broiled them until they were somewhat blackened, but they didn't blacken evenly making it hard to get off all the skin. Don't let this part deter you. This makes a fantastic lunch for the next day.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 poblano chile peppers, skinned and chopped
- 3 Anaheim chile peppers, skinned and chopped
- 1 pound tomatillos, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 small boneless, skinless half chicken breasts or leftover chicken pieces from the freezer from a previous roast chicken), cut into pieces an inch or 2 wide
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 heaping tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Big pinch black pepper
- Big pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Note: Tomatillos can be sticky when you peel off the skin — doing it under water is easier.
Directions
- Skin the peppers using one of the methods above.
- Combine the peppers, tomatillos, onion, red pepper, and the stock in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. The tomatillos will release a lot of juice.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour. Saute on both sides until it’s beginning to brown.
- Pour the vegetable mixture over the chicken.
- Season with oregano, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through — maybe 20 to 25 minutes.
- Add a little more stock if needed.
- When finished cooking, stir in the chopped cilantro.
- Serve over brown rice.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Calories: 352
- Total fat: 2 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 68 mg
- Sodium: 398 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 26 g
- Dietary fiber: 5 g
- Total sugars: 11 g
- Protein: 33 g