Chicken with Red Chile Steamed in Foil
Mixiotes de Pollo en GuajilloMaguey is the common name of a species of the plant agave that is classified with aloes, amaryllis, and lilies. More than one hundred species have been recorded by botanists in the Americas. Tequila, mezcal, and pulque are all alcoholic beverages made from certain species of agave. Maguey is also the source for mixiote, a thin papery layer stripped away from maguey leaves and traditionally used as a wrapping for cooking. This traditional item is rarely obtainable, even for most Mexicans. Stripping the outer layer of the maguey leaves to get the mixiote kills the entire plant, and this practice has caused great damage to fields of maguey. When I visited the states of Tlaxcala and Puebla, it was explained that parchment paper or aluminum foil is often used for wrapping foods nowadays; however, the traditional dishes are still called mixiotes.This recipe was given to me by Estela Salas Silva, owner of and teacher at a culinary school, Mexican Home Cooking, in Tlaxcala, near the city of Puebla. Serve the chicken with Pan-Roasted Potatoes and Carrots or any rice dish.Guajillo chiles are medium-hot, dark-red dried chiles with a smooth, shiny skin. Guajillos, along with ancho chiles, are among the most popular dried chiles to use for cooked sauces. You can use bay leaves or epazote leaves for flavor in this dish, but if using bay, discard the leaves before serving. Epazote leaves are often found in Mexican markets. They are edible and can be left in the dish.
Ingrediënten
Makes 4 servings
- 3 guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded, veins removed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 large garlic clove peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
- 4 bay leaves or fresh epazote leaves
Instructies
- Put the guajillos in a small pan of hot water and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat, cover, and soak 30 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the chiles.
- Put the chiles in a blender along with the cumin, cloves, garlic, vinegar, and salt.
- Blend until smooth.
- If too thick to blend, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to free the blades.
- Blend to a thick purée.
- Pour the sauce through a strainer into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon to extract the pulp.
- Discard the debris.
- Put the chicken in a glass pie plate.
- Spread the chile purée all over the chicken.
- Cover, refrigerate, and marinate about 6 hours or overnight.
- Prepare 4 (12-inch) squares of aluminum foil.
- Put one piece of chicken and a little marinade on a piece of foil.
- Put 1 bay leaf or epazote leaf on top.
- Fold the foil to wrap the chicken and make a tight seal.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken and pieces of foil.
- Place the packages on a steamer rack.
- Add water to the bottom of a 2- to 21⁄2-quart steamer pot and bring to a boil.
- Cover and steam over simmering water 18 to 20 minutes.
- To test for doneness, open one packet.
- The chicken should be white in side at the thickest part.
- If not, rewrap and cook a few more minutes.
- If done, serve the packets to be opened at the table.
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