Sunday, November 30, 2008

Cilantro Stuffed Chicken with a Roasted Poblano Sauce



I am back in the kitchen - finally! I love vacation but I definitely miss cooking after several days.

This chicken dish was from a recipe found on the Epicurious website for Cilantro Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Poblano Chili Sauce. I followed most of it with a few minor changes. My changes are noted in italics below, and I made the recipe for 2, not 4.
Ingredients
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1.5 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic (original recipe called for 1 clove for 4 breasts...but we love garlic)
  • Added: 1 tsp finely chopped onion
  • Added: dusting of chili powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne
  • Added: grated manchego cheese
  • Poblano sauce: 2 roasted poblano peppers, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 small onion, 8 oz chicken broth, added 1/4 c light cream; added salt

Directions

  • Cut a pocket into each chicken breast.
  • Mix cilantro, garlic, onion, and manchego cheese; fill each pocket with the mixture. Coat the chicken with the spices and a touch of olive oil. Place in a baking dish and bake on 400 for approximately 12-15 minutes, flipping once.
  • Make the sauce: roast peppers (I do them right on the gas burner on my stove), peel skin off, and chop. I kept some of the seeds because we like heat. Then, heat olive oil in a small pot and saute onions and garlic. Add peppers and broth and bring to a simmer for 1 minute. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return to pot, add cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.
  • Serve sauce over chicken.

I love cilantro, and this chicken was just bursting with the flavor. The sauce had just the right amount of heat to complement the chicken without overpowering it. It was also a very easy dish, about 40 minutes from start to finish including the prep.

Print this post

5 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! My husband *loves* cilantro so I plan on making this soon!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds so good. I"m a sucker for most things Mexican-inspired so I'll have to give this a shot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi — I wanted to let you know about an event I am starting on my blog From the French Kitchen (thefrenchkitchen.wordpress.com). I’ll be “touring” other food and cooking blogs, interviewing the blogger, and making 3 to 4 of your favorite recipes from your blog. I hope you’ll take a look at the information and submit a form to be considered for a “stop” on the tour! Tour Information: tourblogsadmin.wordpress.com

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. do you think it would work with gorgonzola cheese?? i'm wanting to make a similar dish, but without the sauce. thoughts??

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sara, I'm not sure gorgonzola is the right flavor to go with cilantro. If you don't want to use Manchego, how about Monterey Jack or Cheddar? I'd stick with something usually found in Mexican cooking.

    ReplyDelete