Towards the end of April into the early part of May, Mexican food takes center stage in our home for Cinco de Mayo. We think about all our favorite dishes and try out new things, but it’s always a little awkward with the way the seasons work because in my mind Mexican food goes hand-in-hand with summer. Some of the best produce for Mexican food–tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos—are all hot weather garden items, and we won’t harvest any until August.
So for the next several days I will cast my eyes longingly in the direction of all the out-of-season produce that’s running $3.99 a pound and up, reminding me once again why we grow our own and preserve what we can. Of course those hothouse vegetables just won’t taste the same since they’ve been picked before ripe. There’s nothing better than a sun-ripened tomato still warm and fresh from the garden, so we wait.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some good Mexican food, and in fact this dish is perfect for cool weather because spinach loves cool temperatures. This is one of our favorites from Rick Bayless, a smoky spicy dish with perfectly cooked chicken breast, still juicy and tender, not dried out, just remember to stick closely to the cooking time.
[Updated September 9, 2010.]
CHIPOTLE CHICKEN WITH CREAMY SPINACH
Equipment
- small bowl
- large glass dish with lid (or plastic wrap)
- 9x13 (or similar size) broiler-proof baking dish
- 4 warm dinner plates (So the chicken doesn’t get cold while you cook the spinach and sauce.)
- 3 to 4-quart saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo (finely chopped)
- 1¼ cups Crema Mexicana or heavy cream or crème fraiche
- 4 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (trimmed of fat)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 6 cups stemmed spinach (rinsed and patted dry)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation
- In the small bowl, stir together the chopped chipotles and Crema Mexican. Smear all over the chicken breasts, then cover and refrigerate for several hours.
- Turn on the broiler and let it get very hot. Lay the chicken breasts in the baking dish, then place about 6 inches under the broiler and cook until good and brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and drizzle the rest of the cream around them, not on top. Set the pan back under the broiler and cook until the chicken is deep golden and no longer feels squishy when pressed, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the oven. Don’t forget.
- Place one chicken breast on each warm plate and keep them warm in the oven while preparing the spinach and sauce. They will only be in the oven for a few minutes, so don’t panic.
- Scrape the broiled cream mixture into the saucepan and add the broth and spinach. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir nearly constantly until the spinach wilts and the cream reduces, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with a little salt.
- Divide the spinach among the 4 plates and spoon the sauce around the chicken and spinach. Serve immediately.
Oh to live somewhere where it’s warm all the time! Then we could have tomatillos at our every whim. This dish looks delicious. A beautiful way to celebrate cinco de mayo!
Yummy! I agree. Nothing tastes like a garden-fresh warm tomato. Since I’m the garden master, I don’t think anyone but me has had a taste of the season’s first. I call cook’s privilege on that…Come visit when you can.
I LOVE Mexican food. The flavors are so amazing. This meals looks amazing too. I’ll have to give it a try this weekend. Also need to head out to buy more tomatillo plants. Hope they still have some. I love your purple salsa.
Oh Joanne, I so agree! Tomatillos year round would be wonderful.
Sharlene, I always snag the first bite of the first tomato fresh off the vine. Nothing like it.
Diane, Debaggio’s should have tomatillos plants now, though it’s too early to plant them. Like tomatoes, they need warm days and nights to thrive and we’ll still have a few cool nights between now and late May. So if you get them early, keep them indoors at night and slowly harden them off during the day.
This looks and sounds SOOOOOOO amazing! I really just want to dig into the picture on the page… Great recipe for today!