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Slow-cooked chipotle chicken

By: My Kind of Food by Valli Little (ABC Books), published in Australia

Published: 30 Jun 20
Updated: 25 Mar 24

Our slow-cooked chipotle chicken takes inspiration from great Mexican flavours to create an uncomplicated one-pot dinner. The star is the flavour of chipotle, which is a smoke-dried jalapeño chilli and a Mexican staple. Obviously we’ve thrown in guacamole for a side, because – well, who doesn’t like guacamole?

Check out our Mexican burrito bowls recipe too for another crowd pleasing dinner.

Easy
May/June 2020

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6-8
Hands-on time 25 min, oven time 2 hours

Check out our Mexican burrito bowls recipe too for another crowd pleasing dinner.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 436kcals
Fat: 19.7g (4.3g saturated)
Protein: 43.2g
Carbohydrates: 21.1g (14.5g sugars)
Fibre: 10g
Salt: 0.6g

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Ingredients

- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 skinless, boneless free-range chicken thighs (about 1.4kg), halved
- 2 red onions, cut into wedges
- 2 red peppers, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp chipotle paste (see Know-how)
- 1 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 300ml chicken stock
- 400g tin black beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- Warm tortillas, soured cream, coriander leaves and lime
  wedges to serve

For the guacamole

- 3 avocados, peeled and chopped
- Juice 1-2 limes
- 1 green chilli, seeds removed, chopped
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- Small handful chopped coriander

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Method

Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a hob safe casserole or large ovenproof sauté pan (you’ll need a lid) over a high heat, then fry the chicken in batches, turning often, for 3-4 minutes until browned all over. Remove and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the casserole/pan, then fry the onions and peppers for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, chipotle paste and cocoa, stirring to combine.
Return the chicken and any juices to the casserole, stir to coat, then add the chopped tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, then cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hours.

Add the beans to the stew and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes more until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Meanwhile, put all the guacamole ingredients in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper, add a little more lime juice to taste, then pulse until roughly chopped and combined but still with some texture. (Or mash everything together in a mixing bowl with a fork until as smooth as possible.)
Serve the chicken on warm tortillas topped with guacamole, soured cream, coriander and a squeeze of lime.

Recipe from May/June 2020 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 436kcals
Fat: 19.7g (4.3g saturated)
Protein: 43.2g
Carbohydrates: 21.1g (14.5g sugars)
Fibre: 10g
Salt: 0.6g

delicious. tips

Make the day before, then reheat on the hob to serve. Cover and chill any leftovers for up to 3 days, reheat with an extra splash of water/stock until piping hot, then serve with rice and charred corn.
Chipotle paste is a smoky Mexican chilli paste, available in most large supermarkets. If you can’t find it, use 2-3 tbsp Mexican/fajita spice blend instead.