Chicken Thighs with Tangy Yucatecan Spices and Potatoes

Today I decided to cook up some Mexican fare out of my favorite cookbook, Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless.  The recipe I picked out was actually for the grill, so I mocked it by using a grill pan.  I did have some trouble however... first, I didn't check that the blender was put together correctly and I accidently chopped up the rubber seal ring, whoops!  The garlic therefore was not blended into a paste, so I had to put chopped garlic into the marinade.  Then I put some of the marinade into the cooking chicken and the chopped garlic started to burn, so I had to scoop it out.

Marinade for the chicken

The recipe called for a pepper and tomato salsa, but I didn't have any tomatoes, so I took the other suggestion which called for a green chili hot sauce (bottled).  Unfortunately, I didn't have that either, so I made one with the ingredients I did have: green chilis, garlic, chicken broth, minced onion, salt, pepper and cilantro.  It came out okay, but it was much better over the chicken.

Green Chili Salsa

Chicken Thighs

Chicken Thighs with Tangy Yucatecan Spices, Potatoes, and Green Chili Sauce

Chicken Thighs with Tangy Yucatecan Spices and Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth, divided
4 medium potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 (4 oz.) can green chiles
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 small onion, minced
Salt and Pepper

Marinade

12 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup vegetable oil

6 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Pinch ground cloves

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. sugar

Salt

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients for marinade in a large bowl.  

Take half the marinade and put in medium bowl.  Add the chicken. 

Scrape the remaining marinade and add to a small saucepan.  Add the chicken broth, green chiles, 1/4 tsp. salt, and onion. Set aside.  

Heat grill pan over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil.  When hot, add chicken breasts. Cook for about 7 minutes on one side, flip, cook an additional 5 minutes.  

Meanwhile, place the potatoes, 1 Tbsp. water, and a good amount of salt in a microwaveable bowl and cook, covered in plastic wrap.  Make sure to poke holes in the plastic wrap and cook for about 6 minutes.  Pour off the water.  

Bring the broth to a boil, taste and season with salt if necessary.  

Serve with broth poured over chicken and potatoes.  

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless