Chicken Suiza Chilaquiles
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 55 min
- Active: 55 min
Ingredients
10 medium corn tortillas, cut in half then into 2-inch wide strips
Cooking spray
Salt
3 poblano peppers
6 large tomatillos, peeled
3 to 4 cloves garlic, in skins
1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palmful
Small handful fresh cilantro plus a few leaves for garnish
1 lime, juiced
Pepper
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken stock, reserved from Poached Chicken, recipe follows
1/2 cup crema, creme fraiche or sour cream
3 cups Poached Chicken, pulled or chopped into bite-size pieces, recipe follows
1/2 cup shredded Swiss
1/2 cup shredded Jack cheese
Red onion, thinly sliced rings, for garnish
Poached Chicken:
1 whole chicken, 5 pounds
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, coarsely chopped, with stems, if you have them
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, sliced
1 onion, quartered
A few stalks celery with leafy tops, coarsely chopped
A small handful of parsley with stems
Salt
A few peppercorns
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray the tortillas and toast until golden and crisp. Remove and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F.
- Char the peppers all over on gas stovetop burner or under the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover and cool to handle. Peel and seed the peppers.
- Dress the tomatillos, garlic and onions with the oil, and roast until charred and tender. Cool slightly and remove the skin from the garlic.
- Process the tomatillos, garlic, onions, poblanos, honey, cumin, cilantro, lime juice and some salt and pepper into fairly smooth sauce/salsa. Taste to adjust seasoning. Add to a pot and stir in the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, stir in the crema and then add the chicken.
- Fill a casserole dish with the crisp tortilla strips and top with half of the cheese. Spread around all of the chicken and creamy sauce, and top with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake the casserole until bubbly brown. Remove and top with sliced red onion rings and more cilantro leaves.
Poached Chicken:
- Place the cleaned chicken in a pot on a bed of bay leaves, carrots, garlic, lemon, onion, celery and parsley. Fill the pot to cover the chicken to the top with about 12 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and throw in a couple of peppercorns. Bring the water to a low boil then gently cook at low rolling simmer for about 1 hour, turning the chicken occasionally. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool completely in its own juices. Remove the chicken and separate the meat from skin and bones. Strain and reserve all of the cooking liquids.