Roasted Chicken With Pumpkin Seed Salsa Recipes

CHICKEN WITH PUMPKIN-SEED MOLE

Steps:

• Place chicken in a 4-quart pot, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, and cover.
• Place serrano and poblano chiles directly over the flame of a gas-stove burner on high heat. Roast, turning with tongs, until blackened all over. (Alternatively, broil chiles on a baking sheet, turning often, until skin has charred.) Transfer chiles to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 15 minutes. Peel chiles, and remove stems, seeds, and ribs.
• Process roasted chiles, onion, garlic, cilantro leaves, 1/2 cup pepitas, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 cup stock in a blender until a coarse paste forms.
• Heat oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add paste, and cook, stirring constantly, until very thick, about 9 minutes. (Reduce heat if mixture begins to scorch.) Whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock into paste until incorporated. Let mixture cool slightly, then transfer to blender. Add salt and lime juice. Process until sauce is smooth.
• Place chicken in a clean 4-quart pot, and cover with sauce. Cook over medium-low heat until just heated through, about 10 minutes. (Do not simmer.)
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Distribute evenly among plates, spoon sauce on top, and garnish with cilantro sprigs and remaining 2 tablespoons pepitas. Serve with rice if desired.

CHICKEN IN GREEN PUMPKIN-SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• For chicken:
• Bring all ingredients to boil in large pot. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl; cover to keep warm. Reserve chicken broth in pot; spoon off fat from surface.
• Meanwhile, begin sauce:
• Heat heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pepitas; stir frequently until seeds puff and begin to pop, about 15 minutes (do not brown). Transfer to dish; cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons pepitas for garnish. Working in batches, finely grind remaining pepitas with peppercorns in spice mill or coffee grinder.
• Puree tomatillos, next 5 ingredients, and 1/2 cup reserved chicken broth in blender until almost smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo mixture and simmer until sauce is thick and reduced to 1 cup, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add ground pepita mixture. Stir constantly until mixture resembles very coarse paste and begins to color in spots, about 9 minutes. Add tomatillo mixture; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups reserved chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thick, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes longer. Season sauce to taste with salt. Spoon some sauce onto platter. Top with chicken. Spoon remaining sauce over. Garnish with reserved 2 tablespoons pepitas.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE SALSA

Steps:

• Cut off a thin slice from the top and bottom of the orange and place cut-side down on a cutting board. Cut off the rind and any white pith. Working over a small bowl, cut between the membranes to remove the orange segments, letting them fall into the bowl; squeeze the juice from the membranes into the bowl.
• Put the chicken in a large bowl and season all over with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the orange juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, the pomegranate molasses, garlic, coriander and red pepper flakes; toss well. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil. Place the chicken skin-side up in the dish; scrape the remaining marinade out of the bowl and drizzle around the chicken. Let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
• Roast the chicken until the skin is tight and browning in spots, 35 to 40 minutes. Baste the chicken with the pan drippings (add a little water if the pan seems dry) and roast 10 more minutes. Baste again and continue roasting until the chicken is very tender and the skin is browned and glazed, 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Chop the orange segments and return to the bowl. Add the pomegranate seeds, parsley and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper and toss. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Spoon off the fat from the drippings, then drizzle the chicken with the remaining drippings. Top with the pomegranate salsa.

ROASTED PUMPKIN NACHOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Place pumpkin in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast until tender, 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally., Reduce oven setting to 350°. On a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan, layer half each of the chips, beans, pumpkin, salsa and cheese. Repeat layers. Bake until cheese is melted, 8-10 minutes. Add toppings of your choice; serve immediately.

BEST ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Clean and dry pumpkin seeds so there is no goo or strings.
• Melt butter onto a cookie sheet. Spread pumpkin seeds evenly over the buttered sheet and sprinkle with salt and water.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan every 4 minutes to ensure even baking.

SPICY GRILLED CHICKEN WITH PUMPKIN-SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add pumpkin seeds; cook, stirring often, until puffed, about 5 minutes. Add lettuce, vinegar, and 1 cup water; season with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until lettuce is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a blender; add cilantro. Blend on high speed until sauce is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Thin sauce with 2 to 4 tablespoons more water, if needed (it should be pourable).
• Meanwhile, heat grill to medium high; oil grates. Rub chicken with remaining tablespoon oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve with sauce.

PUMPKIN SEED BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place first five ingredients and 3 tablespoons of the pumpkin seeds in a shallow bowl. Finely chop remaining pumpkin seeds; stir into cracker mixture. In another shallow bowl, whisk together egg, honey and lemon juice. Dip both sides of chicken in egg mixture, then in crumb mixture, patting to adhere., Bake on a greased baking sheet until a thermometer reads 165°, 30-35 minutes.

SAVORY ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Clean all pulp and guts from pumpkin seeds. Soak in cold water for a minimum of 2 hours, up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• Drain pumpkin seeds and mix with butter, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Spread seeds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crisp, stirring and flipping halfway through, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle with additional salt to taste as soon as you remove the sheet from the oven.