RECIPE: Michael, I made this last night....REC: Nogales Baked Chicken with Tomatillo Salsa, it was

RECIPE:

curious1

Well-known member
delicious. I served it with the avocado mixed wtih lime and salt, lol, and CI's Mexican Rice.

A question, though. I used fresh tomatillos and tasted before the lime juice addition. It was very nicely tangy and definitely needed no lime. I was halving the recipe, so the 2+ T. of lime juice would have ruined it in my opinion. Have you had that experience or am I getting really acidic tomatillos?

I was thinking the chicken would really be good slit and stuffed with roasted and peeled poblanos, jack cheese (or both!) before dipping and breading. Here's the original post from Epi.

Here's another really good recipe from that cookbook: REC: Nogales Baked Chicken with Tomatillo Salsa (m)

(I first posted this in 1999. My kids are

older now!)

This is a good, solid recipe using

tomatillo salsa, and is not so spicy that

those of you who prefer milder dishes can't

enjoy also. My kids (5 and 3yrs) inhale

this dish. It is from the Sunset Mexican

Cookbook, 1989 edition. My comments are in

(brackets).

Nogales Baked Chicken (Pollo Nogalense)

In the border town of Nogales, the culinary

traditions of Mexico and Arizona are

blended. This baked chicken is a tongue-

tingling sample of the result.

Ingredients:

Tomatillo Salsa (recipe to follow)or

purchased green chile salsa

3 whole chicken breasts (about 1 pound

EACH), skinned, boned and split, or 12

chicken thighs(3 to 3 1/2 pounds TOTAL)

skinned (I've always used breasts)

2 eggs

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 1/2 cups fine dry bread crumbs

2 tsp EACH chili powder and ground cumin (I

often use only 1 tsp of EACH, but tastes

good either way)

1/2 tsp ground oregano

6 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 large ripe avocado

4 to 6 cups of shredded romaine lettuce

leaves (I omit this...looks good without it)

About 1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (I

ALWAYS prefer sour cream!)

About 6 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions,

including tops

12 to 18 cherry tomatoes (only when my

garden allows!)

1 or 2 limes, cut into wedges

Prepare Tomatillo Salsa (recipe follows),

set aside. Rinse chicken, set aside.

In a shallow bowl, beat together eggs,

garlic, and 1/4 cup of the salsa. In

another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs,

chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Dip each

chicken piece in egg mixture; drain

briefly. Then coat with crumb mixture and

shake off excess.

In a rimmed, 10 to 15 inch baking pan, melt

butter in a 375 degree oven. Add chicken;

turn to coat with butter. (I usually just

lightly butter or oil the pan and not "coat

with butter". Tastes good either way; less

fat my way.) Bake, uncovered, until meat

in thickest part is no longer pink when

slashed (30 to 35 minutes for breasts,

about 45 minutes for thighs).

Pit, peel, and slice avocado. Arrange

chicken on a bed of shredded lettuce on a

serving platter and top each piece with a

dollop of yogurt (add fat back in by using

sour cream!). Garnish with avocado, green

onions, tomatoes, and lime wedges; offer

remaining yogurt and salsa in separate

bowls to add to individual servings. Makes

6 servings.

Tomatillo Salsa

Even though tomatillos are usually softened

by briefly roasting them, this still

qualifies as a "salsa cruda", or raw salsa.

1 1/4 pounds tomatillos, husks removed

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno, serrano, or other small, hot

chile, stemmed (omit for milder tastes!)

3/4 cup regular strength chicken broth

1/3 cup lime juice (fresh squeeze pleeze!)

salt (optional)

Rinse tomatillos; arrange in a single layer

on a baking sheet and roast in a 500 degree

oven until slightly singed (about 15

minutes). Let cool. In a blender or food

processor, whirl tomatillos with cilantro

and chile. Stir in broth and lime juice;

season to taste with salt, if desired. If

made ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to

2 days (well sealed, mine keeps a week).

Makes 3 cups.

My own variation uses canned tomatillos

which are available year-round and canned

green chiles. Still comes out acceptable!

To the above recipe, substitute:

1 large can (28 oz) tomatillos, drained,

for

the fresh tomatillos. No need to roast

them

in the oven, they are already softened by

canning.

1 can (3 to 4 oz) green chiles for the

jalapeno.

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice for the lime

juice

Note: This salsa has a wonderful sourish

and tangy flavor. It is terrific on tacos,

burritos, eggs, etc.

Enjoy!

Michael

http://tinyurl.com/m6z43

 
Glad you liked it Curious. I've always used the lime, but you know your...

...tolerance for "tart" best, so it wouldn't hurt to leave it out. Tomatillos can be more or less tart, depending on the time of year, and all the variables that go into farming them. You may have gotten a sour batch. (That's a "good sour", not a sour because it turned bad sour).

I think your tweaks would be fantastic. You could even slip in a shred of julienned chipotle pepper.

Good stuff!

Michael

 
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