Chicken Chilaquiles

By lorik

Ingredients

• Variation from Cooks Country:
• 3 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 in all)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound tortilla chips
• 1/4 pound feta, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 16 (6-inch) corn tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt
• 5 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 8 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus 2 tablespoons chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (1 cup)
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
• Sour cream
• Lime wedges

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Add the paprika and chili powder mixture and then add the broth slowly, whisking, until smooth. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper and cook until browned and just done, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

Add the tortilla chips to the chile sauce and cook, stirring, until the chips are soft but not falling apart, about 2 minutes. Put the sauce on plates and top with the feta, sour cream, onion, cilantro, and chicken.

Variation:
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 425 degrees. Divide tortillas evenly between 2 rimmed baking sheets and drizzle each with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss until tortillas are evenly coated with oil. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring chips and switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

2. Toast guajillos in Dutch oven over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to blender and process until finely ground, 60 to 90 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed.

3. Add tomatoes and their juice, 3/4 cup onion, poblano, jalapeño, cilantro sprigs, garlic, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to guajillos and process until very smooth, 60 to 90 seconds. Transfer sauce to now-empty Dutch oven and stir in broth. Bring sauce to boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until chicken registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

4. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large plate. Increase heat to medium and continue to simmer sauce until thickened and reduced to about 4 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes longer. While sauce simmers, shred chicken into bite-size pieces using 2 forks. Return chicken to sauce and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.

5. Add chips to pot and toss to coat. Remove from heat and season with salt to taste. Cover and let stand for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how soft you like your chips.

6. Transfer chilaquiles to serving dish and top with queso fresco, avocado, radishes, remaining 1/4 cup onion, and chopped cilantro. Serve with sour cream and lime wedges.