Chipotle Chicken

Slowww cooked chicken in a sauce that’s full of deep, smoky, almost chocolaty flavours and that delivers a chilli laden punch to excite but not comatose your taste buds ! Wipe that drool from your chin Sir/Madam, if you crave some Mexican variety in your diet and “old el paso” doesn't do it for you, this one pot wonder is for you

A Chipotle chilli, pronounced “Chee-POAT-lay” which when said with a Stoke accent sounds perfect, is a smoked jalapeño. You can buy them in most supermarkets in little sealed pouches, which, when opened, produce a delightfully pungent dark smokey aroma.

 When you couple this with some chicken and add a sweet yet spicy Mexican salsa you get flavour combination to dazzle and excite the most educated of palates

This is another simple and slow cooked dish, the likes of which I’m favouring at the moment. The accompaniments , Salsa, Guacamole etc are also home made and may (if I can be bothered) appear here also

I bought the Chipotles on a whim, opened them up and instantly thought chicken , I don’t know why , it could have easily been pork. Still chicken it was and slow cooking was the obvious choice.

The recipe’s most exotic ingredient is the chillies themselves, so really you've no excuse not to

4 Chicken thighs

1 Onion Finely sliced

2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped

2 Chipotle Chillies

2 Tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1 Tbsp of dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp of malt vinegar

1 Tbsp of dried oregano

1 Large carrot cut into fine ribbons

500 ml chicken stock

Tortillas, Salsa, Guacamole, sour cream, cheese and fresh lettuce and or cucumber to serve

Halve the chillies and de-seed (unless you want face meltingly hot) place them in a bowl, pour on about a cup full of boiling water and leave for 30 mins. Once softened remove from the water and chop finely, keep the water for later.

Pre-heat the oven to 160 Degrees

In a flame proof casserole dish, fry the chicken thighs so that they are brown all over, remove and add the onions, fry, stirring often until softened and brown.

Add the garlic and fry for one minute

Next add the tomatoes and Oregano then fry for a further min

Add the chillies, chilli water, sugar, vinegar and stock, stir until the liquid boils. Add the chicken again. Place in the centre of the oven and cook for about 2.5 hours, stirring every 30 mins or so. Towards the end the chicken should start to fall apart into chicken strings. Add the carrot and cook for a further 30 mins

Serve with Mexican type accompaniments, the pictures show what I chose but really it’s up to you