Mexican Pollo en Escabeche
The sweetness of caramelized onions and the fireworks of jalapeno pepper strikes an immediate chord with your love for Mexican food.
Servings 4
Calories 188kcal
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons Dried oregano preferably Mexican
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 Chicken breast halves bones and skins intact, about 2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 1 large Sweet onion cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 large Carrots peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick on a diagonal
- 4 cloves Garlic peeled and halved
- ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
- 2 to 4 Canned pickled jalapenos stemmed, seeded and sliced.
- 1 cup Chicken broth
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the black pepper, allspice, oregano and salt. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the chicken breasts.
- Heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Lay in the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, until richly browned. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.
- Add the sliced onion and carrots to the skillet and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the remaining seasoning mixture, the vinegar, jalapenos and broth.
- Nestle the chicken pieces skin side up in the onion mixture, cover the skillet (a cookie sheet works if your skillet doesn’t have a lid) and simmer gently over a medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 15-20 minutes or until a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees. Taste the broth and season with additional salt if you think it’s needed. Transfer a piece of chicken to each dinner plate, spooning a generous portion of the juicy vegetable mixture over the top.
- You can either remove the meat from the bone and slice or serve chicken breasts whole.
Notes
Tips For Success:
- Don't Skip Drying The Chicken: Using a paper towel to pat away the moisture on the meat goes a long way in a better sear once that chicken hits the skillet.
- Don't Rush: Don't rush the browning process. That golden crust equals big flavor. It's called Maillard Reaction. The best example of this is what your toaster does to bread.
- Simmer Gently: Don't let the sauce boil while you cook. A gentle simmer will give the vegetables and chicken a chance to soak up all of those flavors.
- Overnight Rest: Even though I've always served this dish hot, I did test the flavor of the leftover chicken after a rest in the refrigerator overnight. The flavors were indeed better, for the same reasons soups always taste better the next day. Make ahead and serve cold or at room temperature if you'd like.
Nutrition
Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1089mg | Potassium: 702mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6199IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
