5 from 6 votes
Mexican Inspired Chicken with Dates!
These is an easy recipe. You just need to make the marinade and bake . Serve with your favourite salsa and jalepeno peppers. You'll be very surprised how these flavours work together. This recipe uses Australian cup measurements
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings:
4
Course:
Main Course, Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken thigh fillet boneless about 6
- 8 burritos 10 inch
Marinade
- 150 gram dates fresh or dried (3/4 cup) cut1/2 and de seeded
- 1 teaspoon oregano a nice strong Mexican or Greek one, dried
- 3 Tablespoons cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon salt sea salt
- 3 Tablespoons Chipotle chili Salsa
- 60 ml vinegar 3 Tablespoons, white or red wine
- 400 gram crushed tomatoes 1 tin including the juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 40 ml neutral cooking oil 2 Tablespoons, generic cooking oil
Salsa
- 2 each tomato diced into small cubes , 1 cup
- 50 gram Spanish onion diced
- 1/2 bunch Coriander chopped
- 1 small avocado diced
- 5 gram salt
- 5 gram black pepper
- 20 ml lemon juice 1 Tablespoon
Sliced Jalepeno peppers *
- 100 gram cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Set the oven to 190-200 C/ 400 F. Prepare an oven tray lined with baking paper.
- To start put the dates, spices, chipotle salsa, salt, vinegar and tomatoes into a medium pot and put on a low heat. Stir and squash the dates as they heat. They need to break down and purée into the sauce.
- Taste it and add salt if needed. Set aside to cool a bit .
- Make the salsa by adding the tomatoes, onions and coriander. and stirring together in a bowl. Set aside
- Put the chicken into the marinade and coat very liberally. Put each piece onto the tray and add a bit more marinade if there is some left. ( discard the remainder- don't use unless it is cooked due to the raw chicken)
- Bake the chicken for 15 - 20 minutes. Test one of the thighs in the thickest part to ensure they are cooked through. if a little pink put back into the oven for another 5-8 minutes.
- Serve the chicken with burritos and salsa and grated cheese.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- I like to Dice the onion and stand in boiling water for two minutes to take out the heat, before draining and adding to the salsa. This cuts some of the burn.