Recipe: Chile-Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Greens

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick.  Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen.  Scribner Press, New York, 1996 p. 314

In case you haven't figured this out yet, I tend to write my postings well in advance of when I actually post them.  I'm not sure when I'll post this - probably in a week or so - but I'm writing it on May 6.  This is the day after May 5, or Cinco De Mayo.  I enjoy celebrating Cinco de Mayo, not necessarily because of the margaritas (although I'll cheerfully drink them) but because it's a great holiday.  We're celebrating victory against overwhelming odds (firstly) and the culture of one of our nearest neighbors, who have made a pretty darned big contribution to the USA as well.  In celebrating Mexican history and culture, we are of course also celebrating Mexican food.  Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines.  It makes me think of someplace warm, someplace exciting.  I was therefore very excited to see the date coming up and planned to make a Mexican dish from one of Rick Bayless' cookbooks to celebrate. 

I was getting ready to prepare this dish when it occurred to me: I had run out of cumin the day before.  I know, I know.  How could I - I, who uses cumin in just about everything - be so dim as to not realize I was about to run out?  I stood there staring at the cabinet, at the empty place where the jar of cumin should be.  My husband came in and asked me why I was gaping at the wall, and I told him I was out of cumin.  He urged me to go out and get some more, but I declined.  I'd already prepped the chicken, and leaving the chicken out even for a few minutes with two spoiled cats and a dog in the house would be a bad idea indeed.  I had to use something else, but nothing else tastes like cumin.  (Caraway is from the same family, but not the same thing.)  I had made a similar dish once before, much less complex of course, with allspice.  Why not use it here?  Instead of trying to approximate the flavor of cumin, I could just go with something else entirely.  Furthermore, allspice is new world like Mexico and I'm pretty sure I've seen Mr. Bayless use it in other recipes. 

I did make a couple of other changes as well.  I didn't have a white onion, so I used a normal yellow onion.  I didn't toast the dried chilies before soaking because our smoke detectors are very sensitive, and he specified "wisps of smoke" in his instructions.  This might have resulted in the final dish not being as full-flavored as I might have liked, although the dish was still quite tasty.  I used 2 tablespoons vinegar instead of 1 1/2, and red chard for the greens.  The result, while not a knock-you-over powerhouse of flavor, was still extremely tasty.  My husband's comment: "For meat that isn't grilled, I like this a lot!"  I used the quick-roasting technique recommended by Mr. Bayless in Mexican Everyday to roast the garlic.  The original recipe called for 2 2/3 cups broth, but I wound up having to use more and the liquid at the end was still very scant.  This was okay because it saved time! 

Chile-Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Greens (Serves 4; approx. $5.68/serving)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 chicken, around 3 lb, cut into quarters

1 medium onion, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

8 unpeeled garlic cloves

8 medium ancho chilies

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon grounded allspice

6 whole cloves

2 3/4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

8 small boiling potatoes, halved

1 bunch red chard, sliced

Equipment:

• Blender or food processor
• Small strainer
• Microwave
• Large, shallow pan with a lid

1. Put the chilies in a bowl of hot water and soak for at least 20 minutes.
2. Put a slit into one end of each clove of unpeeled garlic.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds.
3. Squeeze the cloves into the blender.  Add the soaked chilies (discard the water), oregano, pepper, allspice, cloves and 2/3 cup chicken broth. 
4. Blend until well liquefied.
5. Strain into a bowl and discard the solids. 
6. Heat the oil in the large pan over medium-high heat. 
7. Add the chicken and brown on both sides. 
8. Remove the chicken to a plate and cook the onion until soft and well golden. 
9. Add the chili liquid from the bowl to the pan and cook until it is thicker and noticeably darkened. 
10. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and the vinegar.  Simmer for 15 minutes.
11. Add the chicken thigh quarters and the potatoes to the sauce.  Stir well, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. 
12. Add the chicken breast quarters and the chard, plus the remaining broth if necessary, and simmer another 20 minutes. 
13. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a plate.  If you've got a lot of liquid left (I didn't, but this is what Mr. Bayless instructed) reduce the sauce for a few minutes.  Pour the sauce over the plate. 
14. Serve and eat! 

Technorati Tags: Rick Bayless recipe,Mexican food,recipe,chicken,ancho chilies

Comments

[Judith Tacelli]

This dish looks lovely!

[Fearless Kitchen]

Thank you! One of the best parts was the sauce that was left in the pan afterward :)

[Di]

well, I hate to admit it, but I ABSOLUTELY hate cumin, tastes like stinky armpits smell! So I may try instead of just skipping cumin in the next cumin laden recipe to using something else! Thanks for the idea!