Thursday, September 11, 2008

Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos

I had to sit and suffer through a three hour glucose test today to see if I have gestational diabetes. I think making a pregnant woman fast for eight hours (actually it had been 11 hours when I got there this morning) is some form of torture. Then I had to sit there for another three hours, not eating or drinking. Ugh. So of course I've been hungry all day now. I'm excited for this dinner tonight!

This is from a Rick Bayless cookbook I got at the library, Mexican Everyday. My friend Jen B. liked the book so much she went and bought it. Good thing because there are other recipes I want to try, but I have to return it tomorrow. I've already renewed it twice, so I figure it's time to let it go.

Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos
2 large fresh poblano chilies
2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil (divided use)
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
Ground black pepper
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed thru a garlic press
12 warm corn tortilla, store bought or homemade
3/4 cup roasted tomatillo salsa, guacamole, or bottled salsa or hot sauce, for serving

Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen twoel, and let cool until handelable.

Turn on (or adjust) the oven to its lowest setting. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a very large skillet over medium high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden but still cruncy, 4-5 minutes. Scoot into a heatproof serving bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the skillet, and slide it into the oven. Set the skillet aside.

Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the setms and seed pods. Rinse the chiles to remove bits of skin and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips and stir into the onions. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous teaspoon. Return the bowl to the oven.

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.

Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, lay in the chicken breasts. Brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip and finish cooking on the other side, about 4 minutes more. When the meat is done, add the lime juice and garlic to the skillet. Turn the chicken in the lime mixture for a minute or so, until the juice has reduced to a glaze and coats the chicken.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch strips and toss with the onion-poblano mixture. Taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary. Serve with the warm tortillas and salsa, guacamole, or hot sauce for making soft tacos.

*****

So this will be my first time roasting peppers. I'm kind of nervous about it, but we'll see what happens. I've wanted to try it, but I've always been kind of scared of doing it. But, tonight's the night! Everything else sounds pretty straight-forward. Oh, and I'm using flour tortillas instead of corn because we just like them better.

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