Oaxacan Chillied Chickenpollo Enchilado Oaxaqueno Recipes

Steps:

• Beat 9 ounces lard in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add salt and continue beating for a few minutes. Add masa harina and beat well until combined. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup at a time, beating until masa has a smooth and workable consistency similar to cookie dough, about 3/4 cup total. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, beat the dough a little longer.
• Combine tomatillos, ancho chile pepper, mulato chile pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano in a blender; blend until smooth.
• Heat remaining 2 ounces lard in a skillet and cook tomatillo sauce until lightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and a little of the remaining chicken broth. Cook over low heat until chicken filling has thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons masa mixture onto 1 banana leaf, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the chicken filling in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of banana leaf together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the banana leaf over the seam of the 2 folded sides and tie together with kitchen string. Repeat with remaining banana leaves.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the leaf, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• First add the 2 quarts water to a pot with half the onion, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and the chicken pieces cover and cook for 45 minutes or until meat is tender but not falling of the bone. Set aside. I usually do this in the early afternoon right after lunch. Set aside
• About an hour before dinner time I add 1/2 the oil called for to a large skillet and heat it up some. I add the dried guajillo peppers and fry over a medium flame taking extreme care not to burn them. This is a tricky step as the chiles can burn very fast you must watch them closely and keep turning them over a very low flame or have your electric burner on medium low. Chiles should be turned until they become pliable not soft just pliable about 3 to 5 miniutes. Remove to a dish and add the one large fresh jalapeno or hot green pepper fry on all sides about 3 minutes remove and place with the dried guajillos.
• Next add the fried Guajillos, fried green pepper, half remaining onion, remaining garlic clove, vinegar, quartered tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and one cup broth. Blend in blender on high until all is liquified.
• Next strain the blended chile mixture and discard any residue. Heat the remaining oil in a large pot until shimmering add the chile mixture to the the oil and fry. Be careful it will sputter. lower the flame and stir the simmering chile taste if it needs more salt. Add cumin powder, oregano, dried avocado leaves optional, Add chicken pieces and another two large spoonfuls of chicken broth or about a 1/4 to a 1/2 of a cup. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
• Serve alongside your favorite Mexican rice side dish. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top of your chicken.
• Toasted sesame seeds: Heat a small fry pan add the sesame seeds and over a low flame toast until seeds become golden about 3 to 4 minutes sprinkle on chicken after serving. Buen appetite. PS please do not use any other fresh avocado or dried avacado leaves if you have a tree. The avocado leaves I am talking about are one kind of avocado found and grown in Mexico and that is edible. They can be bought dried and as I mentioned before sold under the brand name "El Guapo"or you can order and buy on line I believe Amazon carries them. DON'T USE ANY OTHER KIND OF AVACADO LEAVES.