Chori Pollo 1.0
Idea Behind Recipe
Living in Middletown, DE there are a surprising amount of great restaurants in the area. Surprisingly some of these restaurants make some pretty awesome Mexican food, some being more authentic than others. Most of them sell a dish called Chori Pollo. It is a pretty simple dish, but it’s become of the many midweek dishes when I don’t feel like being creative. Sometimes the simplest dishes are the ones that can make the most difference in a hectic week. Especially since most of us are stuck in either a curfew state or eat in restaurants are closed.
Process
So the basic elements of this dish are the chicken (Pollo), chorizo, and cheese. That’s really pretty much it. Nothing groundbreaking, but all of these elements combined make for a pretty quick and tasty meal.
The cheese I make was created after Sam’s Club didn’t have in stock particular queso that I always bought. I’ve always been a fan of the queso that is typically served in Mexican restaurants. I decided to find a cheaper homemade alternative and after a lot of research, I came to find out that most of that queso is used using American cheese. This made sense because queso Blanco and American cheese are very similar. It was then time to research what is the best brand of American cheese. Contrary to what you might believe not all American cheese is made equally much like Mozzarella or other cheeses. My personal favorite American cheese is sold at a local Amish market open on the weekend. This is an American cheese that I typically snack on before bed. It is super creamy and has an excellent flavor. The problem is to use it as a cheese dip is kind of pricey, so I searched for an alternative. From reading on the internet I came to the conclusion that the best American cheese brand to try is Land O Lakes’ white American cheese. I then took approximately 1 pound of the Land O Lakes cheese and melted it on low heat. If you are having trouble melting the cheese without it burning I would suggest using a double boiler or a small crockpot. After the cheese is melted I then add in ½ to 1 cup of heavy cream. For a lighter dip, you could use light cream if you prefer, however, I typically like a thicker cheese dip that thickens on food as it cools. Let the cheese dip simmer until it is at the desired consistency, and then add in a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies. The Rotel tomatoes will give the cheese a nice kick of heat, and a bit of sweetness to mellow out the cheese. Once everything is incorporated turn the heat down to low.
For the chicken, you can use whatever cut you prefer. In our household we use breasts, thighs, and tenderloins depending on the fat level we are looking for. For this dish, I would actually recommend using breasts or tenderloins because the chorizo and the cheese will add enough fat on their own. I’m usually a bigger fan of thighs, and they can definitely be used, but I think to even out the fat I prefer to use breasts. Now if you have grocery store chicken breasts as I do then you know they tend to be pretty monstrous in size. This is because most store-bought chicken is pre-brined, which tends to inflate them in size. I like to take them and cut them in half long way almost like they are cutlet sized. Depending on the thickness from there you can even pound them out with a tenderizer. After tenderizing the chicken you can season as you like. I prefer McCormick’s Montreal Chicken on both sides. I’m a big fan of the Montreal line of seasoning including Montreal Steak because they are very simple but perfect for seasoning chicken and beef. I then like to rest my chicken to let the seasoning distribute for usually a half hour before I cook them.
My preferred method of cooking the chicken is using my cast iron skillet. I love cast iron because if taken care of it works just like a non-stick pan, however, it’s not possible to achieve a sear using a non-stick pan. A sear is very important because it gives a nice texture to meat, and helps seal in the natural juices. Depending on the thickness it should take more than 2-4 minutes per side. When in doubt check with an instant thermometer that they are close to 165 degrees.
The last step is to cook up the chorizo. Picking good chorizo is important because I’ve had a lot of the store-bought chorizo with some of it being disappointing. You want something that crumbles easily, has a decent amount of fat and has a good amount of seasoning and spice. Chorizo is extremely flavorful and doesn’t require anymore seasoning than it already has. I also like to use the cast iron skillet to cook up my chorizo to give it a bit of crispiness. If you wanted to you could cook the chicken after the chorizo using the rendered fat.
Plating is easy and is as simple as topping each piece of chicken with some of the chorizo, and then topped with some of the queso that you just made. I also like to finish it off with a bit of pickled jalapeno. I included a picture of the jar that I had, but any brand will do as there are quite a few brands. The easiest section to find pickled jalapenos is to find them in the international section of your grocery store. You could also finish them off with green onion, or even some poblano peppers if jalapenos are too spicy.
Lessons Learned
I’d be lying if I said I rarely make Chori Pollo. I usually make this once every other week because it is pretty popular in our household. I usually even switch up the cut of chicken that I use as well. Since restaurants are closed for an undetermined amount of time I actually stopped in to the store today to grab some chorizo to make Chori Pollo later this week. I also bought a bit of queso fresco to add a different texture and flavor to the dish.