Adobo de Pollo, De Lujo (Red Chile-Braised Chicken)

Most likely my last Rick Bayless entry for a few months since I cooked through all the main course recipes from his iPad app. However, his Authentic Mexican cookbook is lined up for a few months from now.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• 1 2 1/2- to 3- pound chicken, cut into quarters [I just used a bunch of chicken thighs. Chickens sold at conventional grocery stores that my parents take me to are twice as heavy. Someday I'll be able to afford real meat.]
• 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4- inch thick
• 8 unpeeled garlic cloves, roasted in their skins, then peeled
• 4 ounces (about 8 medium) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, toasted and rehydrated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds, preferably freshly ground
• Scant 1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground
• 2 2/3 chicken broth, plus a little more if necessary (divided use) [I reserved a full 2-cup Pyrex of chile soaking liquid)
• 1 pound peeled sweet potatoes, boiling potatoes (like the red-skin ones) or chayote, peeled if you wish, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 cup sliced (1/2-inch-wide slices), full-flavored greens (choose chard, beet, or turnip tops, lamb's quarters, collard or the like), well-rinsed (optional) [At least I know now, that a bunch of collards is pretty much 4 cups and I really didn't need that red chard.]
• Salt
  

I got both of these packs of dried ancho chiles for about $4.50. Far less than what it would have cost me for one pack at Whole Foods.
I love my recent discovery of honest-to-god well-stocked bodegas in East Boston. Such places were ever present in my part of Brooklyn, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge. The former is one of the biggest neighborhoods for Mexican in NYC.


Cleaned according to Rick Bayless' direction which make somewhat more sense than those provide for Bittmans' Enchiladas with Mole a few weeks back.


Argh, I'm throwing out all this spicy goodness


The cleaned bodies of the dried chiles.


I toasted the chiles until they lightened in color and became more aromatic. I soaked them in hot water while I prepped everything else.


Unpeeled cloves of garlic.


I dry-toasted them in my cast-iron skillet, and in some areas, the skin and flesh fused together


I gave up at this point, figuring the sauce would be strained at some point anyway.


Spices.


Mise en place.


Browning the chicken.





The remaining fat was still so hot that it continued to sizzle even after I turned the burner off.


Frying the onions. Ten minutes at medium in such an amount of hot oil strikes me as a little excessively hot, but they weren't burnt to a crisp.


Garlic, chiles, oregano, black pepper, cumin, cloves, and 2/3 cup of liquid pureed in a food processor. Though the recipe only called for a medium strainer to press the sauce through my roommate had moved out with that, and at some point I did spend the extra money to get a fine one for purposes like straining sauce.
Which I had never done before and I now realize is totally worth it. Well I guess I always knew it but hadn't gotten around to buying the equipment yet.


Stirring the SMOOTH sauce into the onions. Cook down until thickened and noticeably darker.


Stir in broth and vinegar and simmer for 15 minutes.


Adding in the sweet potatoes and chicken and cooking for 15 minutes on medium-low.
I had to add a lot more broth that suggested to reach what I thought a normal height for braising.


Add in greens and chicken breasts (if I was using them) and cook for 20 more minutes.


Set aside the chicken.


And boil down the vegetables and remaining liquid to a medium consistency.


A good dish though still not quite what I had back in Chicago.