Pollo Pulquero

(Slow-Cooked Chicken with Tomatillos, Potatoes, jalapenos and Fresh Herbs)

"Mexican Every Day"

Rick Bayless

Ingredients

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds

Salt

4 medium red-skin boiling or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick, about 1 pound total

8 skinless chicken thighs (bone in or out, 1 1/2 or 2 pounds, respectively)

1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves or 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh epazote leaves

1 1/4 pounds (8 to 12 medium) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup sliced canned jalapenos (you can slice and seed whole pickled jalapenos)

2 Tbs. jalapeno pickling juice

Directions

Spread the onion over the bottom of a slow-cooker. Sprinkle with salt. Continue with layers of potato slices, chicken thighs, cilantro or epazote and then tomatillos, sprinkling salt evenly over each layer before moving to the next. (This is the only salt in the dish, so make sure to add enough.) Scatter the jalapeno slices over everything, then drizzle on the pickling juice. Cover and slow-cook on high for 6 hours (the dish can hold on a slow-cooker's "keep warm" function for 4 hours or so.)

Carefully transfer a portion of your pollo pulquero onto each dinner plate. If there is a large amount of juice in the cooker, tip or ladle it into a saucepan, set it over high heat and boil quickly to reduce it to a rich consistency. Taste and season with more salt if it needs it, then drizzle some over each serving. If you have any extra cilantro, chop some to sprinkle over each portion.

For a quicker version, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Layer the dish as described in a medium large heavy pot, preferably a Dutch oven. Set the lid in place and back for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and back 15 to 20 minutes longer to reduce the juices. Spoon directly from the pot onto plates. Serves 4.