Chicken Breast With Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3/4 lb tomatillo, husked and rinsed (8 or so)
• 1 medium jalapeno chile
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaf, and tender stems rough-chopped divided
• 4 (8 -10 ounce) chicken breast halves (8- to 10-ounce bone-in, skin-on)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (to garnish)

Recipe

• 1 lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet or baking pan and roast tomatillos and jalapeno or chilies under a hot broiler, 4 inches or so from the heat source, 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are blistered and splotchy brown with, maybe, a few black spots. turn them and roast on the other side. cool, then transfer tomatillos and chilies to a food processor fitted with the metal blade or blender along with any of the juices on the pan. process or puree until smooth.
• 2 meanwhile, over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, about 6 minutes until golden brown. raise heat to medium high, add tomatillo puree and cook 3 minutes until sauce darkens and is very thick. add broth, brown sugar and 1/4 cup cilantro. stir, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. season with salt and pepper. set sauce aside.
• 3 season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-proof skillet large enough to hold chicken in one layer. add chicken, skin side down, and cook 5 minutes until skin is richly browned. turn and cook on bone side 2 minutes or so. remove chicken from pan and pour out all but 1 tablespoon fat. add tomatillo sauce and bring to a simmer. nestle chicken pieces, skin side up, in the sauce, place in preheated 375-degree oven and bake 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. (check with point of a small knife near the bone to make sure chicken is cooked through.)
• 4 place one piece of chicken in each of four shallow bowls, spoon sauce around, top with crema or queso fresco and sprinkle remaining cilantro over.