Gallina en Nogada
User Reviews
5
-
Prep Time
25 mins
-
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
-
Total Time
1 hr 55 mins
-
Servings
6 servings
-
Calories
537 kcal
-
Course
Main Course
-
Cuisine
Mexican
Gallina en Nogada
Description
Gallina en Nogada centers on chicken pieces poached until tender in salted water, with the breasts removed earlier and reheated later to maintain texture. The sauce is crafted by toasting walnuts and charring whole garlic, quartered onion, and Roma tomatoes to develop smoky undertones. These ingredients, along with ancho chilies and roasted red peppers, are blended with spices including cinnamon and cloves. Butter is used to sauté some components, enriching the sauce's texture and flavor. The final dish balances the mild chicken meat with the nutty, slightly spicy, and aromatic sauce.
The cooking process involves both simmering and gentle reheating to preserve the chicken's juiciness. The use of dried ancho chilies softened in warm water and roasted bell peppers adds layers of sweetness and depth. The walnuts contribute creaminess and texture, setting this recipe apart with a typical regional sauce known as "nogada."
This dish can be served warm and pairs well with traditional side elements or salads but the recipe focuses specifically on the chicken and walnut sauce combination. Variations include grilling or smoking the chicken for different flavor nuances.
Practical tips include using premade broth when cooking skinless breasts or pheasant, and careful reheating of the sauce over medium heat to prevent breaking. The sauce and cooked chicken freeze well, maintaining quality for later use. Alternative dried chiles such as pasilla or mulato can replace ancho, and homemade roasted peppers can be used instead of canned for a fresher taste.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken cut into serving pieces
- salt
- black pepper
- 3.5 ounces walnuts (100 grams)
- 3 cloves garlic whole but unpeeled
- 1 onion quartered, white
- 2 Roma tomato sliced in half
- 3 tablespoons butter (50 grams)
- 1 bread thick slice
- 4 ancho chile stemmed, seeded and rehydrated in warm water
- 3 roasted red bell peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 3 tablepsoons parsley chopped, fresh
Instructions
- Cover the chicken with water and bring to a boil. Skim any froth that forms, then drop the heat to a bare simmer and add salt. After about 20 minutes, remove the breasts from the pot and set aside. When the legs and wings are tender, turn off the heat and leave the meat in the pot. Return the breasts to the pot to warm up.
- While the chicken is cooking, toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium-high heat, stirring or tossing often, until you can smell them, about 5 to 8 minutes. Move them to the bowl of a blender.
- Heat a flat top, comal or heavy griddle or cast iron pan on high heat. When it's hot, char the outsides of the unpeeled garlic, as well as the cut sides of the onion and tomatoes. The garlic should be ready within 5 minutes, but the onions and tomato will take about 10 to 15 minutes. You want nice blackening. Roughly chop the vegetables and add to the blender.
- While the vegetables are charring, heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bread until golden on either side. Turn off the heat but reserve the pan. Tear the bread to pieces and add it to the blender.
- Tear up the ancho chiles and the red peppers and add them, along with the spices, to the blender and puree until smooth, adding ladles of the chicken stock to thin it to the consistency of house paint or melted ice cream.
- If you still have a good 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan you fried the bread in, you're good. If not, add some more butter. Heat this over medium heat and pour in the sauce. It will spatter, so be prepared for that. Stir the sauce constantly until the sauce absorbs the butter, then drop the heat to low, cover the pot and let this cook very gently until the chicken is done.
- Serve by putting a little sauce on everyone's plate, then the chicken, then more sauce. Garnish with parsley and black pepper.
Notes
- Use premade broth to poach skinless chicken breasts or pheasant, letting it steep off heat to retain tenderness.
- The walnut sauce can be stored uncooked for a week or frozen cooked, but reheat gently to prevent separation.
- Chicken can be prepared by grilling or smoking for alternative flavor profiles.
- Substitute ancho chilies with pasilla, mulato, guajillo, or dried red Hatch chilies as preferred.
- Canned roasted red peppers are convenient, but roasting fresh peppers adds a more vibrant flavor.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 537 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 537kcal | 27% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 30g | 60% |
| Fat | 37g | 57% |
| Saturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 13g | 76% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 110mg | 37% |
| Sodium | 440mg | 18% |
| Potassium | 870mg | 19% |
| Fiber | 9g | 36% |
| Sugar | 12g | 24% |
| Vitamin A | 6806IU | 136% |
| Vitamin C | 23mg | 26% |
| Calcium | 67mg | 7% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
