Guilty as charged. I've been a total slacker in the recipe department recently. You see...the truth is, I've been eating Paleo 5-6 days a week for quite some time now. If you're unfamiliar with this "life-style" you must know that it bans all starch carbohydrates and grains as well as dairy, beans, and peanuts. Lucky for me, I've got a serious love affair with vegetables. Zucchini and spaghetti squash are now my "pastas" while cauliflower and parsnips are now my "mashed potatoes." Okay, you're not impressed. You do recall, however, that I only "follow the rules" on most days, right? Yep, you know what that means: cheat days! However, even with my infrequent rebellious days of dining, I've still been hesitant to create new recipes as I spend all week long dreaming about the food at my favorite restaurants. Cooking insanely healthy dinners five days straight makes me absolutely ravenous for my most-loved Mexican eateries, burger joints, and Italian cafes. But, it was time. I couldn't bear to neglect my recipe readers any longer. With Cinco De Mayo quickly approaching, I felt compelled to prepare one of my spicy and saucy specialties.
My Creamy Chipotle and Roasted Poblano Chicken originated one evening when I had not the slightest clue what I’d cook. Looking through my fridge and pantry, I felt hopeless. I grabbed chicken breasts along with some onions and a few spices from my cabinet. A random poblano pepper made its presence known too. A meal that I threw together on a whim turned out to be one of the best Mexican meals I've served to date. My brother, the gourmet cook (and my kitchen inspiration) can vouch for this one people. On this particular night though, I used ground chipotle to fire up the chicken. Ever since, I’ve used chipotle chiles en adobo and let me attest, this dinner went from “tasty” to absolutely scrumptious. Not my prettiest plate I’ve ever presented, it is mouth-watering delectable; I swear it.
Creamy Chipotle y Roasted Poblano Pollo
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ can chipotle chiles en adobo (can be found in Ethnic food aisle)
1 cup roughly chopped onions
2 poblano peppers
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ tablespoon cumin
½ cup light cream (I use organic half and half)
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup tomatoes, diced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup EVOO
½ tablespoon white pepper
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1) Turn your oven’s broiler on (or heat to 450 degrees) and to it, add the poblano peppers, lightly brushed with EVOO.
2) Discard any excess fat from the chicken and cut into smaller pieces (I cut my chicken breasts in thirds). On both sides, season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and white pepper.
3) Bring EVOO to medium-high heat in a large pan. Add chicken pieces and sear on each side (about 1 minute each)
4) Add chicken broth and turn down to low heat so that chicken is cooking with a light simmer.
5) After 15-20 minutes, when there is a slight char on the skin, take the poblanos out of the oven and set aside to cool.
6) Add half of the chiles en adobo (with the sauce) to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
7) After chicken has been slowly cooking for 25-30 minutes, remove a few pieces at a time and shred with two forks pulling at the meat in opposite directions.
8) Return all of the shredded chicken back to the pan. Add the blended chiles en adobo and mix.
9) Remove the skin from the poblanos and chop, leaving out all of the seeds.
10) Add chopped poblanos, minced garlic and diced tomatoes to the chicken.
11) “Temper” your cream or half and half by adding to it the juices from the chicken pan. Once the cream is slightly warmed, slowly stir it into the pan with the chicken.
12) Mix in the cilantro and serve over rice or stuff into tacos with your choice of toppings.
