Bowl of Chicken, Green Salsa & Potatoes
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Chicken, Green Salsa & Potatoes


Mexico   -   Polo, Salsa Verdi y Papas
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 8 cups
***
1-3/4 hrs
Yes		 An unusual and very tasty main dish soup / stew. It is fine for buffet, and reheats very well. Cut a bit finer, it can be a soup course soup.

1-1/2
ar
ar
10
4
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1+
3
3
1
1
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3
2
ar
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ar
#


oz
oz
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#
oz
cl

c
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T
c

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Chicken Meat (1)  
Salt
Pepper
Potatoes (2)
Nopales (3)
-- Purée
Tomatillos (4)
Onion, white
Garlic
Chili Serrano  
Cilantro
--------------
Oil
Broth (5)
Salt
-- Serve with
Tortillas (6)
Prep   -   (55 min)
  1. Cut Chicken into about 1 inch pieces (a little less if serving as a soup course). Season generously with Salt and Pepper. Set aside while preparing the remaining ingredients.
  2. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch chunks (a bit smaller if serving as a soup course). Hold in cool water until needed.
  3. Disarm Nopales with your Kitchen Torch, trim the very edge, and cut into strips 1/4 inch wide and 1 inch long.
  4. Husk TOMATILLOS and cut into 1/2 inch chunks, or just in half if Milperos.
  5. Chop ONIONS coarse. Crush GARLIC and chop coarse.
  6. Cap SERRANO and slice crosswise medium.
  7. Chop CILANTRO small, using leaves and thin stems. Measure is after chopping and moderately packed.
  8. Place all Purée items in a Food Processor, Blender, or Mixie and run until smooth. For a blender, you may have to add a little of the Broth.
Run   -   (45 min)
  1. In a pan large enough for the recipe (I use a 3-1/2 quart sauté pan, but a wok would work), heat Oil and fry Potatoes, stirring often until lightly browned. Remove from the pan leaving oil behind.
  2. Stir in Chicken and continue frying until they show some browning. Watch the fond that sticks to the pan. Redish color is ok, but if it starts turning chocolate go to the next step immediately.
  3. Stir in Purée, Broth, and Potatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until Chicken is tender, about 20 minutes.
  4. Stir in Nopales, bring back to a boil and simmer another 5 minutes.
  5. Check Liquid and Salt as needed. Remember, the Chicken brought some Salt, and you want enough liquid so the Tortillas have something to dip into.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken:

      I use Thighs, skinless, boneless, and excess fat removed. The pattern recipe calls for a 2 pound whole chicken (I'm not sure you can get one that small around here) cut into parts. This is impractical for buffet service, and results in "who gets what part" at the family table.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they will turn to mush by time the Chicken is done. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Nopales:

      [Prickly Pear Cactus Pads]   These are available in markets serving a Mexican community. They are also available canned, though most of those are marinated. A good substitute is Green Beans. For details see our Nopales page.

  4. Tomatillos:

      [Mexican Green Tomatoes / Husk Tomatoes]   These are available from markets serving a Mexican community. Regular green tomatoes are NOT a suitable substitute. The pattern recipe prefers the tiny purple Milpero variety. I used Milperos, but green ones, the purple are very rare here. The regular size tomatillos will work fine too.

  5. Broth:

      For recipes that require Broth, I buy skin-on, bone-in thighs - or leg quarters if I want higher broth yield. I remove the meat from the skin, bones, and fat. Those I simmer for broth. I hold the meat for recipes, and freeze it if it won't be used right away. For details of making and storing Broth, see our Soup Stock / Broth page.

  6. Tortillas:

      These should be Corn Tortillas. I prefer soft white corn tortillas for dipping.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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