Chicken with Chili Sauce and Achiote Rice | Jacques Pepin – Heart and SoulJacques Pepin - Heart and Soul | KQED Food

By Rander9576

Ingredients

• Serves 4
• 3 dried mulato or ancho chili peppers
• 2 chayote (about 12 ounces each)
• 4 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup diced (1/2-inch) chorizo sausage (Mexican, Spanish, or domestic)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1 1/4 cup diced (1-inch) tomatoes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Salt
• Achiote Rice (recipe follows)
• 1 cup very coarsely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chicken fat (reserved from Chicken with Chili Sauce)
• 2 teaspoons achiote (annatto) paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup short-grain white rice (or another rice of your choosing)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from ww2.kqed.org

Preparation

Step 1

Soak the chili peppers in water to cover for about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the chilies from the soaking liquid; reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Break the peppers open, discard the stems and seeds, and chop the peppers very coarsely. (You should haveabout 3/4 cup.)

Peel the chayote, cut it in half, and remove and discard the seeds. Cut each chayote half into 4 wedges.

Arrange the chicken thighs skin side down in a large nonstick skillet and cook, partially covered, over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until nicely browned.

Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan; reserve the 2 tablespoons fat for the rice.

Turn the chicken so the browned skin side is up, scatter the onion, scallions, chorizo, and garlic around the chicken, and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the oregano, tomatoes, wine, chopped chilies, reserved soaking liquid, and chayote.

Season with salt to taste, cover, and boil gently for 10 minutes.

For the Rice

Cook the onion in the chicken fat in a saucepan over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.

Mix the achiote paste well with the water to dissolve, then add to the onion, along with the rice and salt, and stir well.

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and cook gently for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Serve the chicken with the rice on the side, or serve the rice as a base under the chicken, placing a chicken thigh on top of each portion of rice, and arrange the chayote wedges around the chicken. Spoon on the sauce and serve.