Food styling and photo: @dianemorrisey
Chilaquiles
As Azmindo Cancino taught Lindsay Sterling in Yarmouth, ME.
Note: Spice level is mild to medium depending on chiles. You can use many different proteins for toppings - egg, pulled pork, seared chicken, steak, whatever you want.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
5 large or 10 small green tomatoes or tomatillos
5 serrano chilis, or ancho if you like spicy
1 Tbsp oil
2 large chicken breasts, or 1 lb. braised beef, pulled pork, or 4-8 eggs
1/4 cup + 2 cups water
1 large chicken bouillon cube or 1 tsp Better than Bouillon
1/2 of a large bag of tortilla chips
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
Optional toppings:
1-2 avocadoes
6 radishes
1/4 red onion
6 oz queso panela (omit for lactose-free)
1 stem fresh epazote or
16 fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
1. Blend chilis, tomatoes, and 1/4 cup water in a blender until smooth.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large soup pot. Once the pan is hot, add blended chili-tomato mixture, bouillion, salt, 2 cups water, and epazote stem if you have it.
3. Simmer for ten minutes or so until the color of the liquid changes from spring green to muted green and loses its raw flavor.
4. Slice chicken breast horizontally into 1/4” planks while this is cooking. Wash all surfaces that touched the raw chicken with soapy water.
5. Get a large saute pan really hot and lay out thin chicken planks without touching each other in the pan. Sprinkle each with salt. Flip when the underside is golden brown.
6. When chilaquiles sauce is muted green, pour a mountain of tortilla chips (towering just over the liquid) into the pot and let sit -- no stirring! Let this sit for three minutes.
7. Serve a large spoonful of the tortilla-soaked tomatoes on each plate with a plank of golden chicken and a dollop of sour cream. Restaurants serve crumbled queso panela on top, but she says at home people don't use cheese. Garnish with colorful fresh toppings such as slices of avocado, radish, red onion, and fresh herbs.