HITTING THE RECIPE JACKPOT

The Original Dish in San Miguel

Do you recall my mentioning a delicious meal I had in San Miguel that involved chicken breasts, poblano sauce, and goat cheese? Well, as soon as I got home I began scouring the recipe websites, in search of something similar. I found nothing that contained all three ingredients, so I narrowed my search to just chicken in poblano sauce, and found one on food.com that sounded easy enough to make, had a five star rating and, though it called for grated cheddar on top, I figured I could just substitute a few blobs of goat cheese instead. I bought all the ingredients and was ready to give it a go, aaaand then, La Tourista hit! Needless to say, I didn't feel like cooking for a while.

But now I'm back, and last night I finally got around to trying out that recipe -- with all new ingredients, of course. Definitely a keeper!

CHICKEN BREASTS IN POBLANO SAUCE, by Leslie in Texas, on food.com
Prep Time: 25 mins.  Total Time: 45 mins.  Servings: 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large poblano chile (a fairly mild chile, in case you're worried)
olive oil
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 T. flour
1 cup heavy cream
6 T. grated cheddar cheese (or goat cheese, or feta, or Queso Blanco?)

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Pound chicken breasts to level height, so they cook evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, rub poblano with olive oil and place on a foil covered baking sheet and roast for 3 to 4 minutes, or until skin blackens. Remove from oven and rub off outer skin with a towel or damp paper towel.

Reduce oven to 350 F. Melt 2 T. of the butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and stir over medium heat until thick.

In a blender or food processor, puree half of the poblano (seeds removed) together with the milk. Add to the flour mixture, mix well, and whisk in the heavy cream.

Cook over low heat until thick and bubbly, stirring often. Add salt to taste.

Melt remaining butter in an ovenproof pan over medium-high heat and sear chicken breasts for three minutes on each side.

Cut remaining poblano into strips. Cover the chicken breasts with the poblano strips, sauce, and the cheese of your choice. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

I opted for the goat cheese (just a couple of thin slices on each breast) and it was to die for! Hubby agreed. Best of all, even though I had halved the recipe for the two of us, it was so rich and filling that we ended up splitting one breast, and get to have it for dinner again tonight!