Pollo Farolito (Lantern Chicken)

Name: Pollo Farolito (Lantern Chicken)
Total time: 7200 s
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 400 g chicken thighs; salt to taste; freshly ground black pepper; 4 small onions; 2 cloves garlic; 2-5 jalapeños; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 bay leaf; 1 tbsp oregano; handful coriander leaves, chopped; tomatillo sauce; 500 ml chicken stock; 1 tsp green Tabasco or ¼ tsp white vinegar; Tomatillo sauce:; 500 g tomatillos; 1 clove garlic, chopped; 1 tsp salt; 2 tablespoons lime juice; pinch sugar; To finish:; lime wedges; chopped coriander; sour cream; slices fresh avocado

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

The tomatillo, also known as ‘Mexican ground cherry’ or ‘farolito’ is thought to have been first domesticated by the Aztecs in central Mexico around 800 BCE and was an important food crop to a number of pre-Columbian peoples in Mesoamerica, including the Mayans. Tomatillo predates the tomato by over 300 years.

Actually a fruit (technically a berry), tomatillo contains many tiny seeds and is wrapped in a papery husk called a calyx. It is part of the nightshade family, along with tomato, potato and pepper but more closely related to a gooseberry or physalis.

In Mexico, tomatillo is found in many dishes, including taco, enchilada and tostado. Often when sitting down to eat, totopos (fried tortillas chips triangle-shaped) will be brought to the table with a variety of sauces, mostly hot. One of these sauces is green, tart and made with roasted tomatillo and jalapeño and is known as salsa verde (green sauce).

This simply made tomatillo sauce is poured over chicken thighs and cooked with jalapeño, Mexican herbs and spices. Serve with rice, coriander, avocado, sour cream, a wedge of lime and a stack of corn tortillas on the side. Leftover can be stuffed in a taco or burrito for a takeaway lunch the following day.

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Saved

Ingredients

1 1/2 hours

4 servings

400 gchicken thighs
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
4small onions
2 clovesgarlic
2-5jalapeños
1 tspground cumin
1bay leaf
1 tbsporegano
handfulcoriander leaves, chopped
tomatillo sauce
500 mlchicken stock
1 tspgreen Tabasco or ¼ tsp white vinegar
Tomatillo sauce:
500 gtomatillos
1 clovegarlic, chopped
1 tspsalt
2 tablespoonslime juice
pinchsugar
To finish:
lime wedges
chopped coriander
sour cream
slicesfresh avocado

Saved

Steps

1 1/2 hours

1

If using fresh tomatillo, remove the papery husks and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on a roasting pan with the jalapeños. Grill for 5 to 7 minutes until they colour. Let cool enough to handle then blitz with any juices, the garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar into a sauce.
2

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs on each side. Season with freshly ground salt and black pepper. Remove the thighs.
3

Slice the onions, garlic and jalapeños. Add the onions to the pan used to brown the chicken and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic, cumin, jalapeños, bay leaf and oregano and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chopped coriander and the tomatillo sauce and stir to mix well.
4

Add the chicken thighs back into the pan. Pour in the stock and tabasco, stir and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the chicken is falling off the bone, stirring occasionally. Depending on the sweetness of the tomatillo, it may need adjusting with a little lime juice or sugar.
5

Remove the chicken thighs from the sauce, shred the meat and place back into the sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes uncovered on low heat, to thicken.
6

Sprinkle with coriander and top with a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of avocado and chilli. Serve with rice.