Cook It In Cast Iron: CHICKEN CHILAQUILES/ CHICKEN POT PIE 🌞

Last edited Tue Sep 23, 2025, 12:54 PM - Edit history (2)

CHICKEN CHILAQUILES

SERVES 4

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Chilaquiles is a Mexican comfort food
favorite made from fried tortilla wedges tossed in a deeply flavored
chile sauce. The crisp chips soften slightly in the sauce, giving the
dish a unique crunchy-chewy texture. The finished dish is usually
topped with a variety of fresh garnishes along with a fried egg and
served for breakfast. We decided to swap the fried egg for shredded
chicken for a hearty main course. We quickly discovered that using
store-bought tortilla chips led to disappointing results; they either
turned completely mushy or never softened properly, so we made
our own. Baking the chips kept the dish from getting too greasy. We
then made a simple sauce by toasting dried guajillo chiles in our
cast-iron skillet and pureeing them in a blender with tomatoes, onion,
two other kinds of chile peppers, garlic, cilantro, and salt. We poached
the chicken directly in the sauce to infuse both with greater depth of
flavor. Shredding the chicken and stirring in the homemade chips
brought the dish together. New Mexican or Anaheim chiles can be
substituted for the guajillo chiles. Serve with sour cream and lime wedges.

16 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 8 wedges
¼ cup vegetable oil
Salt
5 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (⅔ cup)
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
8 sprigs fresh cilantro plus 2 tablespoons minced
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1½ cups chicken broth
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (1 cup)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin

1 Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions
and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread tortillas evenly in 2 rimmed
baking sheets. Drizzle each sheet with 2 tablespoons oil, sprinkle
with ¼ teaspoon salt, and toss until evenly coated. Bake, stirring
occasionally, until tortillas are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 20
minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

2 Toast guajillos in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring
frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer toasted guajillos to
blender and process until finely ground, 60 to 90 seconds. Add tomatoes
and their juice, ¾ cup onion, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro sprigs, and
¾ teaspoon salt to blender and process until very smooth, 60 to 90 seconds.

3 Pound thicker ends of chicken breasts as needed to create even thickness.
Combine guajillo tomato mixture and broth in now-empty skillet and bring to
simmer over medium-high heat. Nestle chicken into sauce. Reduce heat to
gentle simmer, cover, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15
minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

4 Transfer chicken to carving board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size
pieces using 2 forks. Meanwhile, increase heat to medium and simmer sauce
until thickened and measures 4 cups, about 6 minutes.

5 Stir shredded chicken into sauce and cook until heated through, about 2
minutes. Off heat, stir in tortillas, cover, and let sit until tortillas have softened
slightly, 2 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with queso fresco, avocado, radishes,
remaining ¼ cup onion, and minced cilantro.

Serve immediately.


From " Cook It In Cast Iron"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25489331-cook-it-in-cast-iron


************************************************************************

TODAY IS NATIONAL AMERICAN POT PIE DAY!


CHICKEN POT PIE

SERVES 4 TO 6

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS The preparations required for chicken pot
pie have largely relegated it to a Sunday treat, but moving this dish
to a cast-iron skillet sped up the process and also improved the results.
We started by parbaking the crust separately, which kept it from
becoming soggy and ensured that it was done at the same time as the
filling. Sautéing the vegetables and aromatics and adding broth
created a rich, caramelized base in which we then poached the chicken.
Next we shredded the meat and then stirred it back in with heavy cream,
peas, parsley, and dry sherry. We slipped on the parbaked crust and
baked the dish for a short time to bring it all together.

You can use our Foolproof Single-Crust Pie Dough or ready-made pie dough in this recipe.

1 recipe single-crust pie dough
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
2 celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
½ cup frozen peas
¼ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 Roll dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into 11-inch circle.
Remove top parchment sheet. Fold in outer ½ inch of dough to make
10-inch circle. Using index finger of one hand and thumb and index
finger of other hand, crimp edge of dough to make attractive fluted rim.
Using paring knife, cut 4 oval-shaped vents, each about 2 inches long
and ½ inch wide, in center of dough. Transfer dough, still on parchment,
to baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

2 Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush dough with egg mixture and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12
minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer crust, still
on sheet, to wire rack and let cool; do not turn off oven.

3 Heat 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Melt
butter in skillet. Add carrots, celery, onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼
teaspoon pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5
to 7 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up
any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and bring to simmer.

4 Pound thicker ends of chicken breasts as needed to create even
thickness. Nestle chicken into skillet. Reduce heat to gentle simmer,
cover, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees and sauce has
thickened, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through.

5 Transfer chicken to carving board, let cool slightly, then shred into
bite-size pieces using 2 forks. Stir shredded chicken, peas, cream,
parsley, and sherry into skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6 Place parbaked pie crust on top of filling, transfer skillet to oven,
and bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling,
about 10 minutes. Let pot pie cool for 10 minutes before serving.

From " Cook It In Cast Iron"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25489331-cook-it-in-cast-iron

Yum Chicken!