Chicken Pepian

By cbingham

Ingredients

• 1 lb. tomatillas
• 1 large poblano pepper, seeded & cut into pieces
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 5 peppercorns
• 2 whole allspice
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 jalapeño, seeded & roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 6-oz.chicken breast, pounded to 1/2" thickness

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat broiler. Remove papery outer layer from tomatillas then rinse in warm water. Pat dry then cut into quarters. Toss tomatillas and poblano with 2 tsps oil and broil until charred about 10 minutes.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds, peppercorns, allspice, and cumin and toast until pumpkin seeds are fragrant about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
In same sauté pan heat2 tsps oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for one more minute.
Place tomatillas, poblano, onions and garlic, cilantro, chicken broth, jalapeño, toasted seeds and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
Heat the remaining 2 tsps oil in skillet & cook the chicken until browned on both sides and nearly cooked thru about 5 minutes per side. Add pepian sauce to skillet covering chicken pieces. Bring to a simmer and cook another 3-5 minutes until cooked thru. Serve chicken topped with sauce and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.