Dish of Chicken & Potato in Tomatillo Sauce
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Chicken & Potato in Tomatillo Sauce


Cali-Mex
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3-3/4 #
***
2 hrs
Yes		 An excellent stew of Chicken and Vegetables, economical and suitable for table or buffet. Can be made well ahead and refrigerated.

2-1/2
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2
2
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14
4
2
1-1/2
2
1
2/3
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1/2
1
1/3
1/3
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1
3
#
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T
T
---
oz
oz
cl
#


c
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t
T
t
t
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T
T
Chicken Thighs (1)  
-- Marinade
Oil
Salt
-- Vegies
Potatoes (2)
Onion
Garlic
Tomatillos (3)
Poblano Chili (4)
Jalapeño Chili
Cilantro
-- Spices
Cumin Seed
Oregano dry
Salt
Pepper
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Olive Oil
Water
Pre-Prep   -   (20 min + 2+ hrs marinade)
  1. Remove Skin and Bones from CHICKEN THIGHS. You can use them for Chicken Broth.
  2. Tumble Thighs with Oil and Salt until well coated, Let sit in a cool place for 2 to 3 hours. (refrigerated overnight is fine too).
Prep   -   (40 min)
  1. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes. Place them in a pan with plenty of lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Turn to a simmer and when they are just cooked through, drain and set aside.
  2. Chop ONION medium. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Mix.
  3. Pull husks and stems from TOMATILLOS and cut into moderate size pieces.
  4. (optional Chilis) Blast POBLANOS and JALAPEÑO black with your Kitchen Torch. Brush off the skins under running water.
  5. Cap CHILIS and remove the seed mass. Chop medium (small if skin-on). Mix all with Tomatillos.
  6. Chop CILANTRO medium, stems and all. Measuring is after chopping moderately packed.
  7. Grind Cumin and mix all Spices items.
Run   -   (1-1/4 hrs)
  1. Grill the Thighs, turning a couple of times, until the thickest part is 175°F/80°C or a little higher. Yes, that's deliberately higher than for breast. See Grilling. Let cool.
  2. In a pan large enough for the Tamatillos, heat Olive Oil and fry Onion mix until onion is translucent.
  3. Stir in Tomatillo mix, Water, and Spices mix. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
  4. Let Tomatillo Sauce cool until you can handle it easily. Add Cilantro and run in a Food Processor, Mixie, or Blender until it achieves the texture you wish it to have.
  5. Cut Thighs into about 1 inch pieces.
  6. In a pan large enough for the whole recipe, bring Tomatillo Sauce to a simmer. Stir in Thighs and Potatoes and bring back to a simmer.
  7. Serve hot. For Buffet service I do everything through Step-14 a day ahead and refrigerate. I then put it all in an Electric Skillet, bring it up hot, and turn it to "keep warm" in time for guests.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken Thighs:

      Weight is as purchased, skin-on and bone-in. After skinning and boning, you should have about 1-1/4 pounds.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar waxy potatoes work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they turn to mush if cooked a little more than the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Tomatillos:

      These green Husk Tomatoes are available in markets serving a Mexican community. Canned can be used if necessary. For details see our Tomatillo page.

  4. Chili Poblano:

      This large, very dark green, fairly mild, heart shaped Chili is very important in Mexican cuisines, so it is widely available fresh in the Southwest and California. If you just can't find them, use green Anaheim chilis, not the same but something. For details see our Mexican Chilis page.

  5. Grilling:

      I use a convenient Hamilton Beech Electric Grill, but a charcoal or gas grill, broiler, grill pan, or even plain pan will all work so long as you get some browning and meet the minimum temperature of 175°F/80°C.

  6. Chilis:

      I have found that blasting the skins off is not strictly necessary for this recipe, if the sauce is thoroughly puréed in a powerful food processor, but for other textures they should be removed. With the right torch it takes only a few minutes.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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