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Pollo encacahuatado
Chicken in peanut sauce
Encacahuatado: Veracruz chicken simmered in a roasted peanut, tomato and chipotle sauce
In Veracruz and the towns of central Mexico, encacahuatado is a fiesta-day dish of chicken in a thick, rust-coloured sauce of roasted peanuts, tomato and smoky chipotle. It tastes nutty, gently sweet and warm rather than hot, and is served with white rice and tortillas. Peanuts are the heart of the sauce, so this dish is not suitable for anyone with a peanut allergy. Chef's tip: the sauce thickens a lot as it stands, so keep a cup of warm stock nearby to loosen it before serving.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts
- 3 tomatoesroasted
- ½ white onionchopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ in cinnamon stick
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Season the 2 ⅝ lb chicken pieces, bone in, skin removed with half the ¾ tsp salt and the ½ tsp black pepper. Heat the 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the pieces for 4 minutes a side until golden. Lift out.
10 minStep 2: Blend the 5 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts, 3 tomatoes, ½ white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, ¾ in cinnamon stick, 2 whole cloves and 400 ml of the 1 ¾ cups chicken stock for 2–3 minutes until very smooth.
3 minStep 3: Pour the sauce into the casserole and fry over a medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes until it darkens slightly. Stir in the rest of the ¾ cup chicken stock and the remaining ¾ tsp salt.
5 minStep 4: Return the chicken, cover and simmer over a low heat for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F at the bone. Peanut sauces catch easily, so scrape the bottom each time you stir.
25 minStep 5: If the sauce has become stiff, loosen it with a splash of hot water until it pours like double cream. Serve with rice and tortillas.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pollo encacahuatado take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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