Equipment
Ingredients
Crunch & Base
- 30 ml avocado oil
- 150 g corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
Tomatillo Poaching Base
- 400 g tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
- 100 g white onion, roughly chopped
- 15 g jalapeno, halved and seeded
- 2 garlic
- 250 ml chicken broth, low sodium preferred
- 400 g chicken breast, boneless, skinless
Finishers
- 20 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, stems included
- 5 g kosher salt
- 250 g zucchini, diced into 1.5cm cubes
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the corn tortilla strips and fry them, stirring frequently, until they are golden and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave the remaining oil in the pot.
To the same pot, add the halved tomatillos, chopped onion, jalapeno, garlic, whole chicken breasts, and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and gently poach until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74C/165F.
Carefully remove the cooked chicken breasts from the simmering broth and transfer them to a clean cutting board. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes, then use two forks to pull the meat apart into bite-sized shreds.
While the chicken rests, add the fresh cilantro and kosher salt directly into the simmering broth and soft vegetables remaining in the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until it transforms into a smooth, vibrant green sauce.
Return the shredded chicken to the pureed tomatillo sauce in the pot. Stir in the diced zucchini. Bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered until the zucchini is tender but still retains a slight bite.
Ladle the hot chicken, zucchini, and sauce mixture into deep serving bowls. Generously garnish the top of each bowl with the reserved crispy tortilla strips immediately before eating to ensure they stay crunchy.
Chef's Notes
- To build a deeper, smokier flavor profile, try charring your tomatillos, onions, and jalapenos under a broiler for 5-10 minutes before adding them to the pot to simmer.
- This recipe utilizes a technique where the protein poaches in its own future sauce base. This ensures the chicken remains incredibly tender and infuses the broth with savory depth before pureeing.
- Zucchini can turn to mush if overcooked. Be sure to dice the zucchini uniformly to 1.5cm so it cooks evenly, and remove the pot from the heat as soon as it reaches the tender-crisp stage.
- The residual heat from the blended sauce will continue to cook the shredded chicken once it is returned to the pot. Shredding the chicken slightly thick to begin with prevents it from drying out during this final simmer.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store the crispy tortilla strips separately at room temperature in an airtight container to maintain their crunch.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze the chicken and sauce mixture only. Zucchini may become slightly softer upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat the chicken and squash mixture gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
