Greetings! I keep a list of things I want to blog about if I ever get around to blogging again ... and lately there seem to be a lot of chicken recipes, so I thought I'd get a couple of them out of the way here. But I haven't been making only chicken lately, so stay tuned for other recipes! I promise I'll blog again before 2022 hits us in the face.
But first, there's a recipe I'm not going to bother sharing, because it was just fine, and that's all. It's a quickie version of Chicken Tahdig, which I found at the Washington Post. The chicken was moist on the inside and crispy-crunchy on the outside but just didn't have all that much flavor. And I was under the impression that a true tahdig also features crispy-crunchy rice, but in this case the rice is just steamed. So it tasted just fine and we ate it all (leftovers were nice for lunch the next day!), but I don't imagine I'll ever bother to make it again. Let me know if you've ever made a similar recipe that I might want to try.
But don't despair! The next two recipes were both great and will definitely get made again. First up was a cheater's version of cassoulet. And by cheating, I mean not ordering Tarbais beans and soaking them before cooking, not making confit duck legs, etc., so it's not a three-day affair. Just a relatively quick and very delicious meal, this time from Food & Wine.
Lazy Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Season the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, smooth side down. Cook, undisturbed, until the edges turn opaque and the bottoms are nicely browned, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Return the skillet and any drippings to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, the onion, and sausage. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and light golden, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, allspice, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring often, until heated through and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and tomato paste and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring often, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beans, broth, and 2 tablespoons oil and bring to a simmer.
Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces (I did this with my fingers and it was hot! Next time I'll make sure to spread the chicken on the plate to cool a bit and then use two forks and/or my kitchen shears to shred the meat); add the chicken to the onion mixture along with any drippings that have accumulated on the plate. Transfer to an 8 x 11-inch baking dish. (I have never heard of this size dish, so I used my trusty Pyrex 9 x 13.) Spread into an even layer. Toss the breadcrumbs with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the bean mixture.
Bake until everything is heated through, the top is browned, and the sides are bubbly, about 20 minutes. Open a nice bottle of red wine and dig in!
* * * * *
The other recipe I just made last night—Bon Appétit's chicken tinga tostadas—and they came out great! I don't think I'd ever had a tostada, though, and I found it almost impossibly messy to eat. Next time I'll probably skip the tostadas and just get flour tortillas for burritos, and/or taco shells. But the chicken mixture and black beans were divine. I made a box of Goya yellow rice to go with.
Chicken Tinga Tostadas with Bacony Black Beans (great photo at the link)
1 medium white onion, chopped (I only buy yellow onions and don't really see the difference. Also, no one here wanted the raw onion on top at the end, so next time I will go with a small-medium-ish onion.)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 canned chipotle chile, finely chopped, plus 1–2 tablespoons adobo sauce (I used only 1 tablespoons but we could have taken a little more heat, so I'll go closer to 2 next time.)
1 (15-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds total) (I used about 1¾ pounds boneless, skinless thighs, which worked out great.)
4 ounces smoked bacon, sliced crosswise into
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, UNDRAINED
8 tostadas (I couldn't find these, so after a bit of googling, I bought regular corn tortillas, spread them out on a baking sheet, sprayed them with cooking spray, and baked them at 400° for 5–7 minutes or so, flipping once or twice, to crisp them up. But see above—I will likely just go the burrito route next time.)
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
¾ cup cilantro (ick)
Pickled red onions (I usually have some of these in the fridge anyhow, and we prefer them to raw onion.)
Guacamole (It didn't say to add this, but of course I did.)
If you're planning to serve raw onion, set aside ½ cup now. Put half of the remaining chopped onion in a large saucepan (you’ll use the rest for the beans), along with the garlic, chipotle chile and adobo sauce, tomatoes with their juices, and chili powder. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Nestle the chicken into the mixture, reduce the heat to medium-low, and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with two forks, 25 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the bacon and remaining chopped onion (not the ½ cup reserved for serving) in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered, the bacon is crispy, and the onion is browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the black beans and their liquid. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
Using a potato masher or a wooden spoon (or if you're me, a meat mallet), smash the beans until almost no whole beans remain and the mixture is thick, smooth, and creamy (this was harder than I expected, so mine was not very smooth, but still awesome). Remove from the heat and let cool slightly; the refried beans will thicken as they sit. Transfer to a bowl.
When the chicken is finished cooking, use tongs to transfer it to a plate and let cool slightly. While the chicken cools, increase the heat under the pan to medium-high and simmer the sauce, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until it looks like a thick and chunky salsa, about 5 minutes. (Mine took a little longer than this, and I realized it's OK if it's still kind of juicy.) Let cool slightly.
Remove the skin and bones (which I didn't have, and didn't miss) from the chicken and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl, pour the warm salsa over the chicken, season with 1½ teaspoons kosher salt (I forgot to do this), and toss to coat.
To assemble: Smear about ⅓ cup refried beans over a tostada. Top with about ½ cup chicken tinga. Garnish with some queso fresco, cilantro, reserved chopped onion, pickled red onions, and guacamole. Get out the napkins!
We cook very similarly -- I use what I have. We buy onions; we use them regardless of white, yellow, sweet, etc. I too usually have pickled red onions on hand.
Posted by: Beth F | November 06, 2021 at 09:56 AM