Best Chicken With Tomatillos And Cilantro Recipes

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.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH TOMATILLOS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pot, skin side down and cook, without disturbing, until skin has rendered most of the fat and is a nice golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. (You want it to be very deeply golden brown so that it stays nice and brown as it braises.)
• Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue to cook until nicely browned on the other side, another 5 or so minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a plate or cutting board, leaving all the fat and golden bits behind. Add smashed garlic and half of the sliced onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatillos and half of the jalapeño and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken back in, skin side up (they will not submerge all the way; that's fine). Simmer, uncovered, until tomatillos have completely broken down and the sauce has thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Add hominy and continue to cook until flavors have melded and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (it should be looser than tomato sauce, thicker than soup), another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine radish, remaining onion, remaining jalapeño and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
• Serve each piece of chicken with sauce spooned around. Top with radish mixture, some cilantro and tortillas alongside for sopping up all the goods.

TOMATILLO CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a food processor, puree tomatillos; set aside. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until browned on one side, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add jalapenos and onion to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatillo puree and hominy, if using; season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in sauce. Cover pot; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 22 to 25 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

CHICKEN WITH TOMATILLOS AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• Roast husked, rinsed tomatillos in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until browned on all sides and soft (about 8-10 minutes)- use tongs to turn.
• Transfer tomatillos to food processor and coarsely grind.
• Wash and dry chicken, season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Saute onions, scallions and jalapeno in olive oil until soft- approximately 4 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and add chicken, cooking until lightly seared, approximately 2 minutes.
• Still in tomatillo, lime juice, and sugar, and simmer until done.
• Stir in cilantro and cook for one minute.
• Correct seasoning, adding salt or sugar to taste.
• Serve with rice or tortillas.

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 ENCHILADAS WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO CHILE SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the salsa:
• On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.
• For the enchiladas:
• Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large flameproof baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.
• Serve hot with Spicy Black Beans and Yellow Rice, the remaining tomatillo salsa, sour cream and fresh guacamole, if desired.
• In a large pot, soak beans overnight covered in water by 2 inches. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and bay leaf and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water by about 1-inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Taste the beans and season with salt and pepper.
• Put all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice has absorbed the water, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and serve.

GRILLED-CHICKEN TOSTADAS WITH TOMATILLO-CILANTRO SALSA

Steps:

• Smashed Kidney Beans: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add coriander, chipotle in adobo, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook 30 seconds more. Add cinnamon, beans with liquid, and broth; bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Smash beans with a fork or potato masher until creamy and spreadable, leaving some intact. Let cool until warm but no longer hot before serving (if beans are too hot, tostada shells will become soft), or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days (return to room temperature before serving). (Makes 2 1/4 cups.)
• Tostadas: Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over high. Add tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapenos in a single layer and cook, turning a few times, until blistered in places, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender with 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems, broth, lime juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Puree until smooth.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Return skillet to medium-high heat; swirl in oil. Add chicken in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden brown in places but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add 2 cups salsa (reserve the rest); reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, turning chicken a few times, until just cooked through and salsa has thickened and darkened slightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 10 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred chicken in skillet into bite-size pieces, tossing to evenly coat.
• Spread 2 tablespoons smashed beans onto each tostada shell. Top with shredded-chicken mixture, avocado, crema, cabbage, remaining salsa, and more cilantro; serve with lime wedges.

LAYERED CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH TOMATILLO-CILANTRO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450.
• Mix tomatillos, chicken broth and garlic cloves in a large saucepan. Cover and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until tomatillos are soft, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer hot mixture to processor. Add sliced green onions, cilantro and sliced chile; blend mixture to coarse puree (Note: be extremely careful when processing hot liquids). Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Overlap 6 tortillas in a sprayed 13 x 9 pan. Top with half of the chicken strips and half of the mozzarella strips. Pour 2 cups tomatillo sauce evenly over. Top with remaining tortillas, chicken and mozzarella. Pour 1 ½ cups tomatillo sauce over, then whipping cream. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes. Cool enchiladas 10 minutes. Serve with remaining tomatillos sauce.