Chicken breast, bell pepper from the garden, onion, pepper jack, hash browns, eggs.

I made sure that the bell peppers and onions were almost crispy while still charred. This was so tasty that I might have to start stocking chicken breasts.

Cost per person, $2.15

Did you boil that chicken? It looks so white. There’s no seasoning at all?

It was salted, peppered and cooked in the same pan with the peppers and onions. I cooked the whole breast and then cut it up. So like almost all chicken that is cut after cooking and not served with a sauce it’s going to be white in the center.

A new taqueria opened nearby, so today I treated myself to “Mole de Pollo,” which I hadn’t had for many years. It was fine for what it was I guess, but was in effect just a blandly-cooked chicken breast with a bunch of mole sauce poured on top. And that’s not -nothing-, because traditional versions have a load of ingredients, and can take many hours (or even days) to slow-simmer.

But I’m thinking that if they’d used shredded chicken and let it cook in the sauce a bit, the whole dish would have been more interesting. Hate to say it, but this place has been distinctly mediocre for an ‘authentic Mexican’ place. *shrug*

That’s sad. If one has the time shredded chicken can be a flavor bomb. And I assume a restaurant has the time.

I think it’s kind of a philosophy issue in this case.

It’s funny; the previous place made little bones about being ‘merely a Tex-Mex joint,’ but overall they were much tastier, and more opportunistic about adding complementary American-style sides to almost all their dishes (like lettuce, pico, shredded cheddar & sour cream). This new, Oaxacan-style place seems to think that’s beneath them(?) But the overall point is, the old place was pretty genius about using a fairly small number of ingredients and lots of yummy spices & sauces to serve up a downright impressive, delicious menu.

Do you have any particular flavor bomb recipe you can recommend?

Take like eight chicken thighs and salt and pepper them. Cram them into a pot that has a lid. Brown them up on both sides. Add in a medium size diced onion and a roasted chili or a can of roasted chilies. Add some garlic, cumin and chili powder. Fill a stock or water up to about 2/3 of the height of the chicken. Put that lid on it and let it simmer for 2 hours. Remove all the bones and shred all the chicken and mix it up.

It’s simple and it’s tasty.

Thanks. My neighbor offered me an electric slow-roaster a month or two ago. If she still has it, I might take her up on it, as I’m trying to eat more protein, these days.

Most of them can’t sear or brown meat. I’d just use a pan. But get that thing and put in some beans, diced smoked hog jowel and a hot pepper into it. Lots of protein from the beans. Comfort food. I’m probably making that this week.

Most of them can’t sear or brown meat. I’d just use a pan.

Searing & browning are really that important to the dish? As someone mainly vegetarian, I’m pretty ignorant about that stuff. I think I did read that searing fish (and I guess other meat) can initially kind of ‘glue’ it to the pan (heaven help you if you try to remove it at that stage), but if one waits long enough, it will turn in to a crust of sorts which can then be successfully removed with a spatula.

Also, assuming I go for the slow-cooker method, I’m thinking I could use either my non-stick or cast-iron pan to do the searing prep.

It helps add depth of flavor. The Maillard reaction makes things awesome. You could do it without the sear. It just won’t be living up to its potential.

Yes. The proteins will eventually unlock the meat from the pan if you just wait a minute or so.