INGREDIENTS
15-20 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
10 tomatoes
20 fresh tomatillos, husks removed
3 onions, peeled
7 Ancho or Guajillo chiles, seeded and cut into pieces
10-15 garlic cloves
1 cup sesame seeds
2 cups hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
3-5 quarts chicken broth
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Extra Virgin olive oil
1-2 bunches fresh cilantro
Lime Juice to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Heat a large rondeaux over medium-high heat; salt and pepper chicken pieces, then lightly dredge in flour, and then brown-off chicken pieces in olive oil until sealed and lightly browned on both sides, and remove to a separate pan. Deglaze the pan with a little water and scrape up the ‘fond’ from the chicken-frying, and pour that in with the chicken pieces. Wipe out the pan to re-use (or get a new, dry pan).
- Heat the new rondeaux. Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and chiles into the hot rondeaux and stir until vegetables are lightly charred, about 15-20 minutes. When they’re a few minutes from being done, add-in the garlic cloves and lightly brown them too. Remove vegetables from pan; stir sesame and pumpkin seeds, cinnamon and cloves into the hot skillet, stirring until seeds are lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Put toasted seeds and spices into a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) with the oregano and chili powder, and process until you have a fairly fine ground mixture.
- Toast the baguette slices in a toaster. Place baguette slices, charred vegetables, the sesame seed-pepita mixture and some chicken broth into a large blender or food processor; pulse several times to chop, then blend the mixture until smooth. (Add more broth if needed. Taste for salt and pepper.)
- Pour mixture into a large saucepan; stir olive oil and soy sauce into mixture. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and cook stirring for 5-10 minutes to combine and let flavors bloom.
- Add chicken pieces and pan-liquid, chayote squash, potatoes, and corn into the sauce, and stir in more chicken broth if needed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and chayote and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime juice and serve.
Serve with refried black beans, rice pilaf, and spicy slaw.