Yesterday, while talking to the man at the fish counter about the paella I was making last night, we got into a discussion about chorizo. This led to him describing to me a chicken stuffed with Cotija cheese and green chilies and topped with chorizo. Sold. I'm thinking there's probably more to the chicken than we so quickly covered and it was definitely not supposed to be served with figs, but I had to work them in somehow.
4 Boneless chicken breasts with skin on
1 Cup grated Cotija cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped green chilies, I used canned, fire roasted hatch chilies
¼ Cup finely diced dried/cured chorizo
Additional thinly sliced chorizo for garnish
Flour for coating:
½ Cup flour
1 Teaspoon kosher salt
¼ Teaspoon chili powder
¼ Teaspoon paprika
freshly ground black pepper
Make a sideways slit with a sharp knife into the middle of each chicken breast, cutting through until you reach near the other side, but not all the way through, to make a large pocket.
Mix the Cotija, chilies and diced chorizo together.
Stuff each chicken breast with the Cotija mixture and seal the opening with toothpicks.
Mix together the flour and seasonings.
Coat each chicken breast with the flour mixture.
Heat oven to 400f.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil. Add chicken, skin side down first and brown the chicken completely.
Place chicken onto a large baking pan and place in the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the Cojita is melted.
For the Figs:
8-10 figs, sliced in half lengthwise
Place figs onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Drizzle figs with good quality balsamic vinegar. Top with some grated Cotija cheese. Sprinkle with just a wee bit of cayenne pepper and finish with freshly ground black pepper.
Use the broiling function on your oven and place the pan under the broiler for a few minutes until the figs shrivel just slightly and the cheese melts.
Serve chicken with the figs and a few slices of chorizo.
Happy Fall!
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