One of the most popular chili peppers in Mexican cuisine is the poblano pepper. These delicious chiles are not only a delight in traditional dishes such as chiles en nogada, but they can also be enjoyed in rajas, rice, soups, and pasta. One of the most beloved recipes in my family is these spaghetti with poblano sauce. The poblano pepper contains a very low level of spiciness, which makes it ideal for this pasta. If you've never tried poblano peppers, I promise you they will become a new favorite ingredient after trying this recipe! 😋💚
🥣 Cooking Time: 35-40mins
🍲 Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
4 poblano peppers 15 ounces of table cream (2 cans of Media Crema) ¼ of an onion 2 garlic cloves 5-6 tomatillos, peeled and rinsed 2 serrano peppers ½ bunch of cilantro 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon (Knorr) 1lb of spaghetti pasta of your choice
Chipotle Chicken ✨Bonus✨🤗 2 cleaned chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
½ teaspoon of chipotle powder
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
½ teaspoon of ground cumin
¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of avocado oil
The juice of a small lime
Directions
1. Start by deveining and rinsing the poblano peppers. You want to make sure the peppers are completely seedless, and clean.
2. Then, proceed to rinse and clean the rest of your vegetables as well. Do not forget to peel and rinse the tomatillos very well.
3. Once all the vegetables are clean, char the outside of the poblano peppers directly on the stove burner over medium heat.
4. Use tongs to turn the peppers every 2-3 minutes, until all have been completely charred.
5. When the poblano peppers are done, remove them from the heat and immediately put them in an airtight container or bag for 15-20 minutes. This will help the peppers to rest and sweat, thus helping you to remove the skin more easily.
6. To check if the peppers are charred, make sure that all the skin on the peppers is blistered and slightly burned (the skin will look black).
7. While you allow the peppers to rest, heat a comal or nonstick pan over medium-low heat.
8. Once the comal is hot, roast the onion, garlic, tomatillos, and serrano peppers. Once they are ready, reserve. Be careful! If you do not want a spicy sauce, I recommend you to remove the seeds from the serrano peppers before roasting. Otherwise, you can grill them whole.
9. Once 15-20 minutes have passed, remove the poblano peppers from the bag or container and rinse them again with cold water. This will help the blistered skin to slide right off.
10. Once the peppers are clean, proceed to blend them with the rest of the roasted ingredients, cilantro, cream, chicken bouillon, and water. Blend until all the ingredients are well incorporated in a smooth sauce, and reserve.
11. Proceed to cook your pasta according to the instructions of the brand you have chosen.
12. When the pasta is ready, strain your pasta from the boiling water and reserve. You can optionally reserve a cup of pasta water to mix with the sauce. This does not change the flavor of the sauce at all, it simply makes the pasta not dry out when reheated.
13. In a pot, pour the sauce and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
14. Once that sauce has simmered, add the pasta tossing it with the sauce. Here you can add the extra cup of pasta water if you reserved any.
15. Serve with grated queso fresco, chicken, or any protein or garnish of your choice. At home, we always enjoy it plain, but with some queso fresco or chicken it always tastes even better. ¡Buen provecho!
Chipotle Chicken ✨Bonus✨🤗
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), adjusting the rack to the middle of your oven.
2. In an oven safe dish, place the breasts and add avocado oil. Make sure that the breasts are well coated with the oil, as this will help them not to dry out when baked.
3. Season the chicken breasts with chipotle, garlic, cumin, pepper, and lime juice.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Keep in mind that the thickness of the chicken breasts will dictate the cooking time.
5. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before cutting. You can serve it with pasta, roasted vegetables, or any garnish of your choice. ¡Buen provecho!
Notas & Tips
Poblano peppers do not have a uniform shape. Unlike jalapeño or even serrano peppers, the size and curves of each poblano pepper are going to be different. I recommend patience when charring them, so each of them is charred as uniform as possible.
Another recommendation that I have is to prepare the poblano peppers in advance to save some time when making this, or any other dish that requires poblano peppers. These can be deveined, charred, and peeled in advanced to save them in an airtight container or bag a day or two before cooking.
Many will wonder, why do the poblano peppers have to have their skin removed?
Although the simplest answer is because they taste better, removing the skin also helps them acquire a better texture, making them softer. In addition, without removing the skin, poblano peppers have a hard, unpleasant texture and are more difficult to digest. If you try cooking them without removing the skin, I assure you that they will not be pleasant to anyone's palate at all.
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