Chicken with Toasted Pumpkin Seed Sauce
Posted on February 24, 2012 by Leslie Blythe No comments
Pepitas are a popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine. They are used as an ingredient in mole dishes, they are known in Spanish as pipián.
There are several ways to roast pumpkin seeds.
Broil
Preheat your oven to the “Broil” setting, so only the top element is activated. Place the sheet into the preheated oven. Watch carefully, as different ovens broil at a variety of temperatures. This should usually take no more than 10 minutes. When the top of the seeds has turned brown, remove the pan and flip the seeds over. Replace back in the oven and toast another 10 minutes, or until brown. This yields a very crispy and salty seed.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 300º F and leave the pumpkin seeds in there until browned (45 – 55 minutes), shaking them around every 5-10 minutes to prevent burning.
Microwave
Put the seeds in the microwave for 2 minutes. Take them out, stir, and put them back in for 1 minute. Keep stirring them after every minute in the microwave until they’re crispy enough.
Pan Fry
Roast them in a pan, constantly shifting them around so that they roast evenly and don’t stick to the pan.
Chicken with Toasted Pumpkin Seed Sauce
Serves 4
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, cut in half
1/3 habanero chili pepper
1 Tbs canola oil
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3/4 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
3 Tbs chopped cilantro
1 Tbs capers
1 cup chicken stock
Roast the tomatoes, onion and habanero on the stovetop in a dry, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, turning to cook evenly, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook, 5 minutes. Turn; cook until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Grind the pumpkin seeds with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a blender; transfer to a bowl. Puree the roasted vegetables, cilantro and capers, adding the broth as needed for a smooth consistency; return the ground pumpkin seeds to the blender. Add remaining broth; process until smooth scraping down the inside of the blender. Serve the sauce over the chicken, with sides of steamed vegetables and rice.
