Chicken with a Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

Well, fall is upon us and not many things smell better than something simmering on the stovetop, filling the house with those wonderful aromas! Toss in some roasted spicy peppers, garlic, and tomatillos and you have something that will also warm your insides!

Ingredients:

• 3 whole chicken legs
• 2T olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4-5 tomatillos, husk removed and rinsed
• 3 peppers (I mixed jalapeño, poblano, and Hungarian banana pepper)
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1T cumin
• 1T rough chopped cilantro
• 1/2 lime juiced
• Salt & pepper

We have roasted peppers here on the blog in the past as but a simple refresher — take your peppers, tomatillos, and peeled garlic, splash with olive oil and put them under a broiler, rotating to char the skin. When finished the tomatillos and garlic can go straight into a food processor. Roll the peppers into a brown bag to cool and steam the skin for easy removal.

While the peppers are roasting, heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken on all sides. Once the chicken is browned, remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the chicken pan and cook until soft and almost browning. Add the chicken stock, lime juice and cumin bringing to a boil, scraping the pan to remove any bits of onion or chicken. Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer.

Remove the skin and seeds from the cooled peppers add them to the tomatillos and garlic in the food processor, pulsing several times until you have a chunky salsa-like consistency. 

Add the pepper mixture to the chicken stock and onions, bringing to a slight boil.

Return the chicken to the pan with any accumulated juices from the plate. Cover the pan and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

You can plate the chicken and cover with the sauce to serve immediately. 

Need a dinner idea for Wednesday, I also like to make everything ahead on Sunday and put it in a casserole dish, letting it marinate overnight or for up to 2 days in the fridge, then bake it in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Don't forget to season with salt, pepper, and sprinkle with more fresh cilantro.

As I said in the beginning of the post, it's fall and the windows are open, so cook something that is going to cause a neighbor walking by to stop, inhale and say wow, that smells good! 

P.S. Got some chicken left over after the meal? Shred it into the sauce mix with added water or chicken broth to get the right consistency for a savory soup. Top with crumbled tortillas as kind of a Mexican Chicken Soup!

P.S.S. Serve it over brown rice as an easy option!

E.A.T. local E.A.T well