Adobo chicken with rice

 

This dish is spicy, but if the amount of chilli scares you then you can easily remove some and go a little lighter in that regard. I like this hot with lots of sour cream, fresh coriander and lime, served with a classic margarita. You can swap the chicken for beef or pork and increase the cooking time; it’s also a great one for batch cooking and freezing, as it reheats very well.

 

Ingredients

 

  • 20g dried chipotle chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 medium green chilli, fresh, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp pinch dried oregano
  • 2 whole cloves, ground in a pestle
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 100g onion, chopped
  • 650g fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 350g vegetable stock
  • 25g olive oil
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 750kg chicken thighs (skin removed), cut into pieces (3 cm)
  • 50g sour cream
  • Handful fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
  • One lime, cut into wedges
  • Rice to serve

 

 

METHOD

 

Place chillies cumin, pepper, oregano, cloves, garlic, onion and olive oil into a deep-set pan with lid and fry on a medium heat for 3 minutes.

Add in the tomatoes and apple cider vinegar and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Next add in the stock and half the coriander, and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Then in a blender with lid (or if using a hand blender let the liquid cool to avoid splashes) puree the sauce, then add back to the pan. Add in the chicken, place on the lid and cook for 45 minutes or so on a medium heat until the meat is tender and starts to shred.

Pull the chicken apart, then serve with rice or tacos, sour cream and top with the remaining coriander and a squeeze of lime.

Gary Townsend is the head chef and owner of Elements, Bearsden, Glasgow

www.elementsgla.com