Send to Printer Pollo Rojo | Chicken in Red Sauce
| Category: entrée /
chicken Sub-category: Mexican cuisine Yield: 3 - 5 main course servings Prep Time: 10 mins. Cook Time: 30 mins. My Rating:  with reservations1 |
Source:  Chicken Rojo |
- 3-5 chicken breasts or thighs
- 6 tomatoes, large
- ½ an onion, cut into quarters
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 2 cups chicken broth mixed with 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon (dry) oregano
- ½ teaspoon (powdered) cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic, peeled and crushed
- ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon red chile powder or chile paste
- salt to taste
Preheat broiler on high.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over high heat. Brown the chicken pieces on each side. Cover chicken with chicken broth and bring to a boil. While it's coming to a boil, cut a small “X” on the bottom of each tomato and place stem-side down on a cookie sheet along with the onions.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over them. Place in broiler and remove when tomato skins become very wrinkled and shriveled.
While the tomatoes are broiling, bring the chicken broth to a strong simmer and add in the chile, cumin, oregano, garlic and cocoa.
When the tomatoes are ready, remove from broiler and let cool for 1 minute.
While the tomatoes cool, turn the chicken
Peel the skin off of each tomato and cut, each tomato, in ½ horizontally and squeeze each half between 3 fingers and the thumb. Using your fingers, mash the tomato a little and add into the sauce. Separate the onions and stir into the sauce. Let the sauce reduce while chicken finishes cooking.
If the liquid cooks off to fast, add water about a half cup each time, until the chicken reaches 170 degrees or is no longer pink inside. [A good oven thermometer works really well here.]
