Chicken Mole

Chicken and Red Mole

Red Mole, as well as most moles, come from the area of Oaxaca. Celebrate 5 de Mayo with this very traditional Mexican dinner!

4 chicken breasts
8 cups water
Salt and pepper

Mole

Water as needed
6 guajillo chiles
3 Pasilla chiles
3 ancho chiles
3 ½ chicken broth (from the chicken above)
2 cloves garlic
½ onion diced
½ tsp oregano
½ Mexican vanilla bean
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil as needed
½ tbs masa harina

Fresh corn or flour tortillas.

Season the chicken and cook it in the water. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat. Remove seeds and stems from chiles and add the chiles to the hot water and let soak for 1 hour. Remove chiles from soaking water and dry them.

In a blender, add all the ingredients for the moles, except the oil and masa harina. Blend well.

In a pot, bring 2 tbs oil to almost smoking. Pour in the liquid from the blender. Bring to a simmer and add masa harina. Season to taste.

Shred the chicken and incorporate it to the mole. Serve over fresh corn or flour tortillas.

Recipe - Chicken Tamales

Chicken Tamales

For the Masa:

¼ cup milk
¼ cup chicken broth (more if needed)
1 cup masa harina
1/2 cup whole butter, softened
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/3 poblano chile, finely diced
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all of the ingredients until you have a Play-Dough consistency. Set aside.

For Chicken Filling:

1 lb chicken
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 can tomato sauce
¼ cup chicken stock
1 tsp fresh oregano or 1/3 tsp dried oregano
Banana leaves or corn husks as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak corn husks in warm water.

Season chicken with onion, garlic powders, salt and pepper. Cook chicken in sauté pan until done. Deglaze pan with chicken stock, add tomato sauce, and oregano. Pull chicken into shreds and return to pan.

In a banana leaf or a corn husk, smear the masa and add a tablespoon of chicken. Put sides of the leave together and fold the bottom end up. Steam until done, about 30 minutes.

AAAHOOOOAA!!

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken

This is a typical dish from India. It is made with bone-in chicken legs and thighs but at home, we use boneless chicken legs just because we are practical.  This is a very healthy recipe, full of flavor, and super easy to make. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

2 lbs bone-in or boneless chicken legs and thighs
8 oz plain yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
4 tbs red food coloring
1 ½ tbs masala mix
-1 tbs peppercorn
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp fennel seeds
- 6 cloves
-1 tsp coriander
-1/8 tsp cardamom
-1/8 tsp nutmeg
-1/8 tsp cayenne
-1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
-1/8 tsp Indian ground vanilla
-1/2 tsp mustard powder
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt to taste

Preparation

Toast the peppercorn, cumin, fennel seeds, coriander, cloves, and cardamom at low heat for about 10 minutes. Add red pepper flakes at the last five minutes. Grind them and add nutmeg, cayenne, ground vanilla, mustard powder, and cinnamon. Mix well and put the mix in an air-tight container. This can be done ahead.

If using bone-in chicken legs and thighs, make indentations in the thickest parts of the flesh to ensure better seasoning. Season with salt.

Mix yogurt with food coloring and lemon juice. Add the masala mix to the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and let it chill overnight.

When ready to use, preheat your oven at 450-500 F. Cook chicken for about 20 minutes. If necessary, turn the heat down to 300 F and finish cooking in a low heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Grilled Chicken with Tangelo-Vanilla Glace

Grilled Chicken with Tangelo-Vanilla Glace

Glace

10 small tangelos (mandarin o orange would work too)
1/3 cup water
1 Hawaiian vanilla bean
4 oz Agave syrup
2 tbs mustard

Peel tangelos, blend them with water and strain them. Pour juice into a small pot, add vanilla bean (cut lengthwise, seeds removed, and pod), agave and mustard. Let it boil and reduce to medium-high heat stirring constantly to prevent scorching the bottom of the pot. Reduce juice by half or until the water has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes). Remove vanilla pod. Let it cool at room temperature, cover, and put in the refrigerator. This can be done the day before. The cold syrup should coat the back of a spoon.

3 large boneless chicken breasts
¼ tsp each:
Black pepper
Cumin
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Brown sugar
Celery salt
Cayenne
Ground oregano
Ground coriander
Fennel seeds

1 tsp each:
Dried chives
Dried parsley

1 tbs cooking oil

Salt to taste

Mix the seasonings in a bowl, except for the salt. Cut the chicken in halves lengthwise. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and rub them with the spice mix.

Lightly coat them with the cooking oil to prevent sticking and grill them for 3-5 minutes each side. Before removing them from the grill, double coat them with the glace.

Enjoy!

Stress-Free Thanksgiving

It's turkey day and time to think about gratitude. Whether you're cooking for yourself, two,or a crowd, this simple dinner will delight your evening.

Turkey with White Wine Sauce

4 turkey slices (ready at the grocery store)

Sauce

2 oz diced onions
1 oz diced carrots
1 oz diced bell peppers
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tbs. butter
1 sachet ( 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 3 springs parsley, 1 clove wrapped in cheesecloth)
10 oz chicken stock
6 oz white wine
1/2 oz all purpose flour
1/2 oz butter
2 tbs cold butter in dices
Salt and pepper to taste
Finely chopped parsley for garnish

In a medium size sauce pan heat oil and 1 tbs butter. Sweat onions carrots and bell peppers but do not brown them. Add stock and white wine. Add sachet and bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover to reduce by half.
Discard sachet and mix 1/2 butter with 1/2 flour. Whisk in the mixture (little by little) in your sauce to thicken. Turn your stove to low and stir in the cold butter up to 4 dices at a time and swirl until melted. Season to taste and top your turkey with it. Garnish with parsley.

Saffron Rice Pilaf

4 oz long grain rice
2 oz chopped onion
1/2 oz chopped garlic
5-6 threads saffron
1 tbs butter
8 oz boiling chicken stock
Salt and white pepper to taste

Put saffron in your chicken broth and microwave for about 3 minutes.

Melt butter in a small pot and sweat onion and garlic. Add rice and braise with butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Add chicken stock, bring to a soft boil and reduce heat to low simmer. Cover and cook undisturbed for about 15-20 minutes until rice is cooked.

Remove from heat and serve warm.

Spinach a la Romana

8 oz baby spinach
1 bacon slice chopped
1 tsp vanilla oil
1/2 oz red wine
1/2 oz raisings
1/2 pine nuts (or any other nut of your preference)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saute pan heat oil and add chopped bacon. Cook until crisp.
Remove bacon and put aside.
Add spinach to fat and cook for about 30 seconds (just to wilt the spinach).
Add pine nuts, raisings (plumped in red wine), red wine, half bacon and season to taste.
Turn heat off and stir until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
Strain the spinach to ensure liquids do not transfer to your plate when serving.
Serve immediately. Garnish with the rest of the bacon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Skillet Chilaquiles (Corn tortillas and chicken)

Too hungry to bake your chilaquiles? No problem! You can make 'em just fine in a skillet...

Ingredients

2 cups shredded chicken
2 tbs vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas cut in pieces
1 medium onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 small cans tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
1/8 Totonac Mexican Vanilla Extract (to cut the acidity of the tomato sauce)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried basil leaves
1 1/2 cups 4 cheeses mix
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil and add the tortillas.

Mix tomato sauce, vanilla, water, onion and garlic powders, and basil leaves in a small bowl. Stir well until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Add chicken on top of tortillas, add onion, peppers, tomato sauce,cover your skillet and let it simmer for about 7 minutes.

Add cheese on top and let it melt. Remove from heat and serve warm.

A fresh vegetable salad would be a nice side dish.

Enjoy!