Chicken With Chilaquiles And Salsa Verde Food

CHILAQUILES WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Special equipment: 4 individual casserole dishes
• To make the salsa:
• Preheat the broiler or oven to 550 degrees F.
• Remove husks from the tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove the stickiness. Put the chiles, garlic, onion and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Season with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Put on a rack about 1 or 2 inches from the heat, and cook, turning the vegetables once, until softened and slightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and pull off the tops of the chiles. Add all the broiled ingredients to a blender along with the fresh cilantro and puree. Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth and blend to combine. Add more broth, if needed, for desired consistency.
• To make the chilaquiles:
• Pour about 1/3 cup vegetable oil into a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tortillas, working in 2 or 3 batches, and cook until lightly browned and nearly crisp. Drain the tortillas on paper towels and discard the remaining oil. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.
• In the same pan, add the tomatillo salsa and bring to simmer over low heat. Add the tortillas and cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture among 4 individual casserole dishes. Top with the cheese crumbles and onion rings. Drizzle with Mexican crema, sprinkle with some chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
• *Cook's Note: Salsa Verde means "green sauce" and is typically made with tomatillos, green chiles and cilantro. Make your own fresh, or you can also find it canned at most supermarkets.
• Tomatillos are a small green fruit encased in a tissue paper-like husk. They should be used when they are still green, before they are ripe and the husk has turned brown. Before using, remove the husk, rinse and dry the fruit. (They do not need to be seeded.) They are found in most supermarkets
• **Cook's Note: Chilaquiles is a Mexican brunch dish invented to use leftovers. It is made with day old tortillas (cut or torn into chips) and salsa verde. They are cooked together until the tortillas are slightly softened. Chilaquiles are eaten alone or with beans, eggs or shredded chicken.
• ***Cook's Note: Queso fresco is a white, mild, fresh Mexican cheese with the texture of fresh farmer's cheese in the US. Queso fresco can be found in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a mild feta cheese.

CHILAQUILES WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Special equipment: 4 individual casserole dishes (I just used plates!).
• To make the salsa: Preheat the broiler or oven to 550 degrees F.
• Remove husks from the tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove the stickiness. Put the chiles, garlic, onion and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Season with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Put on a rack about 1 or 2 inches from the heat, and cook, turning the vegetables once, until softened and slightly charred, about 5 to 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and pull off the tops of the chiles. Add all the broiled ingredients to a blender along with the fresh cilantro and puree. Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth and blend to combine. Add more broth, if needed, for desired consistency.
• To make the chilaquiles: Pour about 1/3 cup vegetable oil into a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tortillas, working in 2 or 3 batches, and cook until lightly browned and nearly crisp. Drain the tortillas on paper towels and discard the remaining oil. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.
• In the same pan, add the tomatillo salsa and bring to simmer over low heat. (Be careful because it may splatter. I used a splatter screen) Add the tortillas and cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture among 4 individual casserole dishes. Top with the cheese crumbles and onion rings. Drizzle with Mexican crema, sprinkle with some chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

CHILAQUILES WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• To make the fried tortilla strips, slice corn tortillas into thin strips.
• Fry in a large skillet of hot oil until light golden brown and crisp, watching carefully so they do not burn.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• To assemble the casserole, spread the corn strips on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.
• Place the chicken on top and cover with the sauce, then top with cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
• Spread the sour cream over the top of the casserole and serve.

SALSA VERDE CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Melt butter in medium ovenproof skillet on medium heat. Add eggs, 1 at a time, leaving space between eggs. Cook 4 to 5 min. or until whites and yolks are set. Remove eggs from skillet; set aside.
• Add tortilla chips to skillet; cook 5 to 8 min. or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add salsa and 1/4 cup cheese; mix lightly. Top with eggs and remaining cheese.
• Heat broiler. Place skillet, 6 inches from heat; broil 2 to 3 min. or until cheese is melted.
• Top with sour cream and cilantro.

CHICKEN CHILAQUILES WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over the vegetables and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and roast until the vegetables soften and start to brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a blender, add the broth and puree. Season with salt.
• Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tortilla pieces in batches and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 1 1/2 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
• Carefully pour out the oil from the pan and return the pan to medium heat. Add about 1 1/2 cups of the tomatillo puree (you will have some leftover) and cook until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Add the tortillas and gently stir until they are coated. Divide the mixture among 4 shallow bowls and top with queso fresco and cilantro and a dollop of sour cream if using.

CHICKEN WITH CHILAQUILES AND SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Stir together sour cream and just enough milk to get a thick pourable consistency.
• Bring salsa and broth to a boil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat. Add chicken, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until chicken is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes, then stir in 6 cups tortilla chips and cook until chips are softened (but not mushy), about 1 minute.
• Transfer chilaquiles to a large platter. Sprinkle with feta, cilantro, and 1 cup broken chips and serve immediately, with thinned sour cream on the side.