Chicken Cotija Recipes

CHICKEN COTIJA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a glass baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat; brown chicken on both sides. Place chicken in prepared baking dish. Mix together the tomato sauce and taco seasoning in a small bowl. Pour over chicken breasts. Sprinkle cheeses evenly over top.
• Bake in preheated oven until chicken has fully cooked and cheese has browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

CHICKEN STREET CORN SKILLET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix the chicken, corn, cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, garlic, green onions, butter, chili powder, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup Cotija and 1/4 cup cilantro. Juice in 1 lime and mix well.
• Add the rice to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet or baking dish and spread to cover the bottom. Top with the chicken and corn mixture, spreading as needed. Top with the pepper jack cheese and a sprinkle of chili powder. Bake until bubbly and browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1/4 cup Cotija and 1/4 cup cilantro. Cut the remaining 2 limes into wedges. Serve with the warmed tortillas, chips and lime wedges on the side, and with the Tomato Avocado Salad.
• Add the tomatoes, avocado, green onions, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to a bowl. Toss to combine. Garnish with the cilantro.

CUMIN CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH COTIJA AND MANGO-GARLIC SAUCE WITH GREEN ONION PESTO MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Whisk together the whole cumin, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, honey, and pepper in a medium baking dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a large ovenproof saute pan over medium high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off any excess. Combine the ground cumin, cotija, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Dust the chicken on the skin side with the mixture.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn over and place in the oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just cooked through.
• Serve drizzled with the Mango Garlic Sauce and with the Green Onion Pesto Mashed Potatoes.
• Combine chicken stock, peppercorns, and garlic in a medium saucepan and cook until reduced to 3 cups. Strain into a bowl.
• Place both vinegars in a separate medium saucepan and cook until reduced by 1/2. Add the sugar and mango puree, and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon thickly.
• Add the reduced chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until soft, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain well and run through a food mill into a large bowl. Stir in the butter and cream and mix until combined. Swirl in the Green Onion Pesto and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Combine pumpkin seeds, garlic, spinach, and cilantro in food processor and process until smooth. Add green onions and lime juice, and process until smooth.
• With the motor running, slowly add the oil. Add the Parmesan, honey, salt, and pepper, and pulse several times until combined.

FRIED ORGANIC CHICKEN TAMALES WITH RED CHILE AND COTIJA

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place chicken on a half-sheet tray. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper, then place skin-side up. Roast until cooked through, about 40 minutes. Let cool. Pull off skin and remove meat from bone. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the masa: Put masa in a bowl and add duck fat, plus a fat pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix until integrated. Add 1/2 cup water to help make a smooth, pliable mass, which will be easy to spread. Set aside.
• For the chile verde: Place tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper in a medium saucepot and add enough water to cover. Place pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until tomatillos are soft and color deepens, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Pull ingredients from water and place in a blender. (Some liquid is fine.) Blend until smooth and season to taste.
• Return chile verde to the same saucepan and add the pulled chicken. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• For the fried chicken tamale: Place a corn husk in the palm of your hand. It should just cover your hand; trim down if necessary so not overly large. Place a wooden kitchen spoonful of masa (approximately 6 tablespoons) in center of husk. Smooth masa to the edges of the husk using back of spoon. Place 4 tablespoons chicken chile verde mixture in middle of masa. Put tamale on a counter and fold in both long sides, then tuck in bottom and top of husk to form a neat package. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Using a steam pot or hotel pan with perforated insert, fill pot with water to bottom of perforated insert. Place a layer of tamales in the insert, being careful not to crowd or stack them. Cover pot with a lid or aluminum foil. Allow the pan to steam over medium-high heat and cook tamales for about 35 minutes. Let tamales cool.
• Warm Red Chile Sauce in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Preheat duck fat in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Remove husk from a tamale. Place in fryer basket and cook until exterior of tamale is crispy, about 3 minutes. Smear 1 ounce Red Chile Sauce on bottom of a plate. Place tamale in center and garnish with Cotija. Serve hot. Repeat with remaining tamales.
• Remove stems from chile pods and shake out seeds. Place chiles in a medium saucepan along with garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Strain and discard excess water to help remove bitterness. Place remaining contents in a blender and puree until smooth.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a blender, puree tomatillos until smooth. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and jalapenos and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomatillo puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thickened slightly, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Briefly run stack of tortillas under cold water, turning to lightly dampen. Wrap stack in a clean kitchen towel and microwave until pliable, 30 seconds. Fill each tortilla with about 3 tablespoons chicken, fold in half, and arrange in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, overlapping slightly. Top with tomatillo mixture, cover with foil, and bake until bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
• In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and 2 tablespoons water. To serve, drizzle casserole with sour cream mixture and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.

CHICKEN TACOS WITH COTIJA CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic cloves with their peel still on. Saute until cloves are soft and all sides are slightly blackened, about 10 minutes. Let the cloves cool, then peel. Cut an "x" on the top of the tomatoes, just breaking the skin. Under a broiler roast the whole tomatoes, blackening the skin on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Cool, then peel of the skin, saving the juice and pulp. In a food processor, puree the garlic cloves, tomatoes, oregano, cilantro and chipotle peppers.* *Using the entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce will make the tacos very spicy. Using half the can will make the tacos spicy, and using 1/4 of the can will give the tacos a subtle amount of spiciness. If you don't like any spiciness, skip the chipotle peppers completely. In a large skillet with a lid, saute the onion in olive oil until soft. Add the tomato mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and cover, simmering on medium heat until the chicken is cooked through - about 25 minutes for thighs and 15-20 minutes for breasts. Remove chicken and shred the meat into thin slices with a knife or your hands. Mix back in as much sauce as you like with the shredded chicken. Salt to taste. Serve chicken on small corn or flour tortillas. Sprinkle each taco with cotija cheese and garnish with fresh avocado (or guacamole) and other garnishes like shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro and sour cream. Makes 8 small tacos.

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN AND COTIJA SLIDERS

Steps:

• Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with chile powder and salt.
• Heat a grill pan; when hot, grill chicken about 4 minutes on each side or until grill marks form and chicken is cooked through. Grill cheese about 1 minute on each side or until grill marks form.
• Cut each chicken breast into 6 slices on the diagonal. Place 2 slices chicken on bottom of each roll. Top with 2 teaspoons salsa and 1 slice grilled cheese; close roll.