When your son offers to cook for you, you don't say no, even when you know you'll be footing the bill for the groceries. Then again, I would have paid handsomely in a restaurant for this spicy Mexican dish, which features shredded chicken in a smoky red sauce made with six varieties of dried chile.
Chicken Tinga
For chile paste:
1 dried pasilla pepper
1 dried morita pepper
1 dried ancho pepper
2 dried guajillo peppers
2 dried chipotle peppers
2 dried chiles de arbol
For chicken tinga:
3 pounds boneless chicken
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons chile powder
1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
Warm tortillas, for serving
Desired toppings such as guacamole, crumbled cheese, sour cream and/or salsa
Clean chiles by removing stems and seeds, place in microwave-safe bowl, then microwave at 15 second intervals for 30 to 60 seconds to release flavors. Add enough water to bowl to coat peppers; microwave for an additional minute. Let cool then puree peppers and water into a thick paste. Set aside.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat a small amount of oil until almost smoking. In batches, brown pieces of chicken; remove to plate.
Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook in juices until slightly browned. Add garlic and continue to cook until light golden brown. Add pureed chile pepper paste and chile powder and cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a soft boil.
Return chicken to pot. Cover and place in 350-degree oven; bake until chicken is tender, 1 hour to 90 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and shred into bite-size strands. Place pan over medium heat and cook sauce until reduced by about half. Return chicken to pan and cook with sauce, stirring occasionally, 10 to 20 minutes until, sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
Serve chicken with warm tortillas desired toppings.
Makes 8 servings.
Recipe from Dan McKay
Food on 02/10/2016