Need help with Chicken Recipes – Mexican??

[nsstampqueen]

For a number of reasons, health being number one, I have to eat more poultry, and to make things worse I discovered that the reason I don’t eat more chicken is I DON’T LIKE CHICKEN!

I want to have chicken for dinner tonight so I bought some chicken legs and thighs.

I am looking for a Mexican recipe (or Mexican inspired recipe) for dinner tonight. We had beef and chicken tacos last night, and after much thought I realized that the reason I don’t enjoy chicken is it is too bland. The beef tacos tasted robust, full of flavor and spice. Anyone know what I can do with some chicken pieces to get the same kind of result? I was thinking maybe cooking the chicken pieces in some fajita seasoning, then shredding the meat off the bone when it is served, but thinking maybe there are better options out there – anyone?? Thanks a bunch!

[gordeaux]

Do a search for chicken tinga

[scubadoo97]

There are numerous ways to make chicken taste good in Mexican recipes. Just like you do with beef or pork it all comes down to layering flavors as you cook. Chicken thighs are my favorite part in the chicken. Moister due to the higher fat content without the tendons found in the leg. Slow roasted, smoked, grilled or braised this piece of meat will shine. Layering in your flavors right from the beginning will help you turn out flavorful food.

[Joebob]

Three words: Chicken in Mole.

[mangeur]

Yes! Also chicken chile verde (a stew with green chiles and tomatillos).

[Joebob]

YES back atcha!

[C. Hamster]

Not particularly Chow-ish, but insanely easy and very tasty.

SALSA COUS COUS CHICKEN
http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/sals...

It was the grand prize winner in the Pillsbury bake off and the creator wrote a book about entering cooking contests. I read the book and then made the recipe.

You can think up your own riffs on it, too.

[JungMann]

A good, generic recipe for sauce would combine chipotles, citrus juice and a little honey to balance out the heat. More explicitly, you could try: http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3283-grilled-chicken-with-orange-honey-and-chipotle-glaze-pollo-a-la-parrilla-con-salsa-de-naranja-miel-y-chipotle

Caldo, Mexican chicken soup, is also a healthy option: http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/20...

[Niki in Dayton]

When I make tacos, taco salad, and even meatloaf, I use ground turkey in place of ground beef, just because we prefer it; it tastes better. Try making tacos as you usually do, but use ground turkey with the same seasonings you currently use for ground beef. You might find you don't even notice the difference! For chicken enchiladas, I use the Cook's Illustrated recipe that calls for poaching boneless skinless chicken thighs in tomato sauce with spices. It's delicious, and most folks would never call it bland.

[CindyJ]

I made chicken enchiladas last weekend and used a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Although I had some problems with the chile sauce part of the recipe, the chicken was definitely tasty and tender.

[CindyJ]

Not chicken, but turkey. I have a REALLY good turkey chili recipe -- low in fat, high in fiber and VERY tasty. Let me know if you'd like me to post the recipe.

[cb1]

Cindy, is it the 30 minute turkey chili? We make that about once a week during the winter. Last night as a matter of fact. So easy and can be altered depending on moods. (spicier or not)

[CindyJ]

It might be more like a 45-minute chili when you consider the time it takes to brown the turkey, but it's soooo easy. I make a big batch and freeze it in single-serving portions.

[nsstampqueen]

I guess I should give more detail in what I need to accomplish here.

I need to eat a low cholesterol diet. The Dr. has said to cut way down on red meat, which I would eat three meals a day if I could. So I am pretty much stuck with boneless skinless chicken breasts, as often as I can possible manage it. I can't fry, or deep fry, I can stir-fry, roast, bake, broil, steam, or BBQ (within reason). I love Mexican food so I thought that would be the best way to eat it until I like it more (does this make any sense).

I like fajitas, tacos, posole - not sure if you can make it with chicken though, enchiladas, salads, you name it, I just haven't cooked with chicken - especially boneless skinless chicken - a whole lot. HELP!! I need something that makes it taste better!

[chefj]

You can assuredly make Posole with Chicken.
Do not forget that you can eat Pork loin, Turkey breast, and Fish.
Chicken breast is very low in fat so you need to keep its natural moister in. So be careful not to over cook it . Be generous with your seasoning. Always let it rest (if cooked whole) befroe cutting it up. Bone up on sauce making and marinades. Look for some pastured chicken or organic that may have more character.
Chicken breast is a pretty blank slate especially if you are buying the commercial run of the mill stuff.

[chefj]

Try marinating,or dry rubbing. Searing, grilling or sauteing instead of simmering. Salt and lime juice are great at brightening flavors.

[cheesecake17]

You could try a Mexican inspired tortilla soup. It sounds as though you like spice, so add more chiles or some hot sauce to finish it. You could even add salsa as a garnish.

[boyzoma]

Chicken Enchiladas are a great way to go. I also recently roasted a whole chicken with the addition of rosemary butter under the skin which gave it some great flavor and kept it moist. It might help, if you just plain don't like chicken, make sure you have some kind of gravy or sauce to go with it. Another route would be a Chicken Cordon Bleu to get the flavor of ham and cheese while masking some of the chicken flavor. Good luck to you.

[katecm]

What did you do with the chicken that it was bland? If you're considering cooking it with seasoning now, what did you do previously? Knowing that might help us advise on improvements.

[nsstampqueen]

I poached the bonesless chicken fillets in clamato juice with a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot sauce, with a sprinkling of taco seasoning on each one. I then sliced it up. And boy was it blah. Had no real depth to it at all. I would have thought that cooking it in Clamato and hot sauce would punch it up, but NO.

I have fried chicken breasts (plain) and then added the fajita seasoning or taco seasoning from the packages, but wanted to do something healthier (trying to avoid frying things and reduce salt intake).

[katecm]

I think the problem is the sauce you used. You're just not going to get the sort of flavor you're looking for. You're smart to go for legs and thighs - a lot more flavor. I'd season them well with cumin, cayenne, chile powder, salt and pepper, then brown. If you're feeling lazy, throw in a can of enchilada sauce or salsa, something like that. If you want to do it homemade, remove the chicken, then saute onions, garlic, jalapeno. Throw in some chipotle chiles, a can of tomato puree or diced tomatos, a can of diced green chiles, etc. Put the meat back in and let it simmer until the meat is cooked and juicy. Pull it all off the bone, add back into the sauce. It's going to be more of a taco or burrito meat than fajita, but it'll be juicy and flavorful.

For fajitas, I'ld just use the same spice rub I told you above, perhaps with some lime zest, and broil or grill, then slice. Just make sure you use a lot of seasoning. Chicken breasts inherently don't have a lot of flavor because they're so low in fat.

[mandycat]

Here's a link to a recipe for El Mirador Caldo Xochitl soup. It looks like a lot of work but you can make a double batch of the soup and freeze the excess. I omit the cloves and serve it over plain rice rather than making the fancy El Mirador rice recipe. Don't leave off the toppings; they make the dish special. Better than Bouillon chicken base works fine; I've never even seen
Glace de Poulet Gold®.

http://www.gatewaygourmet.com/homcoks...