Wok Around the World: Mexican Chicken with Onions and Peppers Stir-Fry

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is what we made last night, but it wasn't impressive.


"Mexican Chicken with Onions and Peppers Stir-Fry"


Ingredients:
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, cut in half-circles
half a 1 1/4 pound package of chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch of hatch green chile powder
pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds


Directions:

Core a yellow bell pepper and cut it in half, removing the seeds. Chop one half and save the other half for another recipe. Put the pepper bits in a small bowl and set aside.

Peel a sweet onion and cut it in half. Save half for another recipe. Put half flat side down and slice it to make half-circles. These will break up in the wok. Set aside the onion slices.

Take half a 1 1/4 pound package of chicken thighs, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside the chicken bits.

Start heating the wok.

Peel and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Put the garlic bits in a small bowl. Your wok spatula should fit inside it. Add 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon dried cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, a pinch of hatch green chile powder, and a pinch of sea salt. Set aside the dry spice mix.

Pour 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into the wok. Add the minced garlic and cumin seeds; stir-fry briefly.

Add the bell pepper bits and stir-fry until they just start to get tender.

Put in the onion slices. Stir-fry until they are tender and starting to turn golden.

Add the chicken. Stir-fry until cooked.

Sprinkle the dry spice mix over the chicken and vegetables. Stir-fry to coat everything.

Serve in tortillas. You could also serve it with rice.


Notes:

This turned out okay but not great. It was mild rather than spicy, which is what I wanted, but not really worth the amount of work that went into it. Doug's description was "almost Mexican … from a fast food place that I wouldn't go back to."

Comments

[erulisse]

I'm guessing one of your main issues is that the chicken was basically flavorless. For this to work well, you would either need to marinate the chicken or add additional seasoning. (Possibly both.)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

It wasn't flavorless, just wasn't quite Mexican.

I suspect you're onto something about the marinade. Most Caribbean dishes start by washing the meat in lime juice and salt.

Re: Thoughts

[erulisse]

There are several styles in Mexican cuisine. This one seems to imitate the dry and meant to be eaten with fresh lime and sour cream or other condiments style. For what you are probably more familiar with you might want to go with a more tex-mex style seasoning with garlic and chili powder.

Also, fresh or lightly dried cilantro both in the cooking and as a garnish might help.