As you've probably realized by now, I'm a crazy person for anything Southwestern. Combining inexpensive chicken leg and thigh quarters with a few pantry ingredients and earthy spices, is a great way to create a flavorful southwestern meal that everyone will love and with very little effort.

I used pantry ingredients which I always keep on hand, chicken stock and canned chopped chilies. I love stocking up on these types of products, as you can pull amazing things out of your creative cooking hat at short notice. You will probably find Goya products on the canned vegetable aisle in your grocery store. I love using these as they are very inexpensive and are of good quality.

I used the mild chilies in this recipe and served this dish over yellow rice. If you can't find Hatch chilies in the can, you can substitute these by using fresh jalepeno chilies which have been deseeded and chopped finely. Saute the fresh chilies along with the onions in step 2.

My Southwestern Green Chili Chicken Recipe was a big yummy hit. It was full of flavor and texture, making enough to feed 6 people well. If you don't find a deal on the leg and thigh quarters, purchase on sale chicken legs and thighs separately. This would be great if you don't want to separate the legs and thighs by hand, too.



Ingredients

3 large leg/thigh quarters, separated and skin off
Olive oil

Spices

2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. turmeric
2 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. ground cardamom

The Sauce

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 large sweet onion, approx. 1 1/2 cups sliced thin
3 large cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 12 oz. jar Goya Culantro base (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 4 oz can Hatch fire roasted chopped green chilies (mild or hot)
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and packed
salt to taste



Method

1. Rub a little olive oil over the pieces of chicken and then rub in the spice mixture. Let these marinate for at least 30 minutes or more. Overnight would be great.

2. In a large, deep skillet heat the oil over a high heat for at least 2 minutes. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant, stirring occasionally.

3. With the meaty side down, nestle the chicken pieces down into the skillet (picture 1) and cook uncovered for approximately 8 - 10 minutes to gain a little color, then flip the pieces over.

4. Mix the culantro base, chicken stock and chilies in a small bowl and stir the mixture to the pan (picture 2.) Cover and let the chicken braise over a gentle simmer until cooked through, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the pan to cool and then pull the meat from the bones and shred. Add this back to the sauce along with the fresh cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt to your liking if necessary.

Serve over yellow or white rice.