Pollo Relleno Recipes

POLLO RELLENO (STUFFED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• 1. Rinse chicken; pat dry. (Today, they say not to rinse chicken because it sprays bacteria everywhere)
• 2. Place each breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. (I use gal. size ziplock bags because they don't tear like plastic wrap) Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 1/8 inch thickness. Remove plastic.
• 3. In a bowl combine cornmeal and seasoning mix. Place egg in another bowl. For each roll, place 1 chili pepper on a chicken piece. Place cheese strip atop chili pepper near one edge. (I place the cheese inside the pepper)Sprinkle with some of the cilantro and crushed red peppers. Fold in sides of chicken. Roll up, starting from edge with cheese. Repeat to make 6 rolls.
• 4. Dip rolls into egg, then into cornmeal mixture. Place rolls, seam down, in a shallow baking pan. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Heat taco sauce. Sprinkle chicken with cheese, serve with sauce. Garnish with chopped tomato and cilantro, if desired.
• 5. Changes I made to how to serve. I top these rolls with shredded Mexican cheese blend, shredded lettuce, homemade salsa, sour cream, cilantro, and sliced black olives.
• 6. I serve this with Mexican/Spanish rice and Refritos on the side.

POLLO RELLENO!

Steps:

• Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap.
• In a bowl combine cornmeal and taco seasoning mix. Place egg in another bowl; beat lightly.
• For each roll, place a spoonful of chili pepper half on a chicken piece. Place a cheese stick atop chili pepper near an edge. Sprinkle with some of the cilantro or parsley, black pepper, and red pepper. Fold in sides; roll up jelly-roll style, starting from edge with cheese .
• Dip rolls into egg and coat with cornmeal mixture.
• Place rolls, seam sides down, in a shallow baking pan.
• Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Serve with taco sauce or salsa. If desired, garnish with cilantro sprigs.
• Goes great with Zatarains Yellow Rice!

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CHILI RELLENOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place peppers onto the prepared baking sheet, and cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, about 10 minutes. Turn the peppers often to blacken all sides. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl, and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 15 minutes.
• Rinse cooled peppers under cold water to peel off the skins, and cut a slit along the long side of each pepper to remove the seeds and core. Rinse the peppers inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the peppers with strips of the cheese.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with the baking powder. In a second metal bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the whites form stiff peaks. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture. Place flour into a shallow bowl.
• Heat the vegetable shortening in a skillet over medium heat. Roll each stuffed pepper in flour, tap off excess flour, and dip the peppers into the egg mixture to coat both sides. Gently lay the coated peppers into the hot shortening. Fry peppers until lightly golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

PICADILLO DE POLLO

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes. Add olives, raisins, and capers; cook 10 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large saute pan, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil until just beginning to smoke over high heat. Add chicken, and cook until dry, stirring constantly. Season with salt. Add reserved tomato mixture, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add almonds, cilantro, parsley, and mint. Remove from heat, and let cool. This may be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, and remove bay leaf before stuffing chiles.