Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried, Mexican oregano
8 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 cans fire-roasted Hatch Green Chilies, drained (6 chiles)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bunch cilantro (leaves and small stems, ~1 cup packed)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 cup sweet white corn kernels (organic)
4 ounce log of soft goat cheese
4 ounces cotija (whole milk), grated (or Monterey Jack cheese can be substituted)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup organic corn meal
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken)
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Directions: |
Directions:Cooking the chicken: Place the chicken in a saucepan with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and oregano. Add enough water to cover the chicken well, and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, for about 35 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow the chicken to cool in the broth. When cool enough to handle, transfer the chicken to a bowl, and shred to bite-sized pieces using your fingers. Strain the broth into another container and reserve for making the corn meal crust. Refrigerate chicken and broth until ready to assemble the casserole.
Preparing the tomatillo, cilantro, and green chile sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in a baking dish large enough to hold everything in one layer. Toss with enough EVOO to coat the dish and the ingredients. Roast at 400 F for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft and starting to caramelize around the edges.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool somewhat. Transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the green chiles, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro. Process until well-blended.
Transfer the mixture to a saucepan. Add the shredded chicken, corn and cheeses. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese has melted. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. (The cotija is pretty salty, so you may not need much, if any, salt.) Spread the mixture evenly in an oiled 8" x 11" baking dish.
Preparing the corn meal crust: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the corn flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter pieces, and using your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until there aren't any large pieces of butter left. (You do this by rolling the butter and flour between your fingers, squeezing to break up the butter pieces until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Alternatively you can melt the butter and stir it in, but cutting cold butter into the flour makes a better crust.)
Add the beaten egg and broth to the mixture, and stir until everything is just moistened (do not over mix). Spread the corn meal crust mixture evenly over the chicken mixture in the pan, taking care not to disturb the chicken layer too much.
Bake at 400 F for about 45 minutes, until the topping is browned and crispy. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and dig in! Serve with avocado, limes, and/or a dollop of sour cream on the side, if desired. |
This recipe for Chicken Tamale Casserole with Roasted Tomatillo, Cilantro and Green Chile Sauce is from