Plaza Chicken from Morelia
Pollo de PlazaPlaza chicken is an institution in Morelia, the capital of the state of Michoacan. Every evening in the central plaza, food vendors set up portable cooking stations to prepare this full meal composition of chile-sauced, fried chicken, carrots, potatoes, onions, and cheese enchiladas. It's quite dramatic to watch being made and very satisfying to eat. The dish is manageable for home cooks by cooking some of the parts ahead. Serve with radishes and a green salad
Ingrediënten
Makes 4 servings
- Basic Red Chile Sauce
- 4 leg-thigh chicken quarters
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
- 4 small potatoes peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
- 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 4 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Oaxaca or Monterey Jack cheese
Instructies
- Prepare the red chile sauce.
- Reserve in the pan off heat.
- Then, preheat the oven to 250°.
- Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken about 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until lightly browned on the outside, but not cooked through.
- Add the garlic, oregano, and ½ cup of the chile sauce.
- Turn to coat the chicken with sauce.
- Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook the chicken until tender and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Reserve in a pan in the oven.
- Bring to a boil 6 cups of water in a large saucepan and cook the potatoes and carrots until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes.
- Drain, leaving the vegetables in the pan.
- Return the pan to medium-low heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil, onion, vinegar, and the remaining salt.
- Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup of the chile sauce.
- Stir gently to coat with the sauce.
- Put the pan of vegetables in the oven with the chicken to keep warm.
- In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil.
- Dip the tortillas, one at a time, in the hot oil, turning once, until limp and hot, about 8 seconds.
- Drain and stack on paper towels.
- To serve, put ¼ cup of cheese on each tortilla.
- Roll and put 1 on each of 4 serving plates.
- Coat each tortilla with some of the remaining chile sauce.
- Put 1 piece of chicken on each of the 4 plates.
- Add a portion of the vegetables.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Serve hot.
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