Chicken in Almond Sauce with Coriander Rice

San Miguel de allende is famous for grilled and rotisserie chicken joints. Here’s a more traditional chicken recipe, with a sauce thickened with almonds, a reflection of San Miguel’s Spanish colonial heritage.

Chicken Thighs 4, skinned and deboned

Olive Onion Oil 2 Tbs, divided 1 small, chopped Garlic 3 cloves, chopped Tomato Purée 1 cup Raw Almonds 100 g Cumin Powder 2 tsp

Hot or Sweet Paprika 2 tsp

White Wine ½ cup Chicken Stock 1 cup

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Green Bell Pepper 1, thinly sliced

Cooked Rice 2 cups

Fresh Coriander a generous handful, leaves and stalks finely chopped

Green Onion 1, finely chopped

1

HEAT half the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds more, until the garlic is fragrant but not browning.

2

SCRAPE the mixture into a blender along with the tomato purée, almonds, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Blend to a smooth sauce, adding ¼ cup of the chicken stock if necessary to loosen the mixture.

3

HEAT the remaining olive oil in the skillet and brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining chicken stock, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

4

ADD the blended almond sauce and the sliced green pepper. Cover the pan again and cook for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is heated through and the peppers have softened.

5

STIR the chopped coriander and green onion through the cooked rice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken. Provide a bottle of Mexican hot sauce such as Cholula or Valentina for those who like to spice things up!