Piri Piri Chicken

I tend to eat a lot of chicken because if cooked right, it can have a lot of flavor.  On the other hand if not cooked well it can be dry, tough and without much flavor.  This chicken has a lot of flavor which come from the piri piri sauce that the chicken is cooked in.  (This recipe is based off Piri Piri chicken from Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes.)  I also tend to use a lot of boneless, skinless chicken which makes it all the more important to have good flavor infused into the chicken.  This method uses a bit of cooking on the stove top as well as finishing in the oven so it gives you enough time to work on other things to serve with this chicken.

Piri Piri Chicken
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced or cubed
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced or cubed
6 sprigs of thyme
cilantro leaves
1 red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 serrano chile, stalk removed
1 jalapeno, stalk removed
2 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 lemons, zested (1 lemon also juiced)
1/4 white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
fresh bunch of basil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Put a large pan on to heat (to cook the chicken).  Place the chicken on a cutting board and season it with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken into the preheat pan and cook until golden on each side.  (The first side should take about 5-6 minutes, then turn over.)

In the meantime, make the piri piri sauce.  Add the chopped red onion to a blender with the garlic, chiles, paprika, lemon zests, and juice from one lemon.  Add white wine, Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of salt and pepper, the bunch of basil and a little water.  Blend until smooth.

Add the red and yellow pepper to the chicken.  Turn the heat down to medium and stir the peppers.  Pour the piri piri sauce into a baking dish, add the peppers then the chicken (and any cooking sauce).  Next, add the sprigs of thyme and place in the oven on a middle rack.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until everything is baked through (and hot throughout).  Chicken will be cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 160F.  Remove chicken from oven the serve with the cilantro leaves sprinkled on top. 

Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles

Six months ago if you had asked me what chilaquiles were, I would have given you a blank stare.  Sometime this spring I was talking to someone, they mentioned chilaquiles.  Since I love many different types of food, but Mexican food in particular, I was interested.  There are many different ways to make chilaquiles, so this will be just one version of what you could come up with depending on what you want to add to this breakfast dish.

This version is a twist from heart of the artichoke by David Tanis.  Ironically, I have owned this book for a little more than a year, but I don't recall reading about the chilaquiles.  At any rate when I unpacked some of my stored cookbooks, I was happy to come across this book for inspiration.  I find David Tanis' voice an interesting read.  Not only are the recipes well thought out, but they are more on the simplistic side of things.  This does not mean they are not time consuming, but taken in steps the dishes are easy to put together and have a wonderful cacophony of flavors.

This version of chilaquiles is quick to prepare, but remember to have your mise en place completed before starting or you will be scrambling since it cooks quickly.

Chilaquiles
Serves 1

Corn tortillas
olive oil
cilantro or parsley
scallions
chiles
salsa
1 egg beaten
salt
pepper


Cut two tortillas into smaller pieces.  Heat a skillet with a little olive oil and fry the tortillas until crisp.  Add the chopped parsley or cilantro, scallions, chiles and salsa.  Add the beaten egg.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  You are ready to eat as soon as the egg is cooked to your liking.  This is very aromatic and will make you eager to dig in!  Note: if you double the recipe, be sure that your tortillas are crisp and the eggs don't make them soggy.