Pasilla peppers are such a beautiful ingredient. They are fruity, not spicy and packed with complex flavours. Just one of them can transform a dish such as this one. This one-pan meal has aubergines, chicken and rice that have absorbed all the flavours and colours. Don’t miss this one when in need of a Mexican Twist in your life.
Pasilla Paste
-¼ white onion
-2 garlic cloves
-1 tbsp tomato paste
-2 tbsp olive oil
-⅓ tsp ground cumin
-⅓ tsp ground coriander
-½ tsp chicken or vegetable seasoning
-¼ cup water
1 Clean the pasilla chile and remove the stem and seeds. Place it in a bowl and cover it with boiling water. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes until soft.
2 Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, ground cumin and coriander, seasoning and the pasilla chile to a blender or a food processor. Add a bit of water if needed. Blend until very smooth. Reserve.
One Pan Pasilla Chicken & Aubergines
-1 cup rice
-2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs, skin on
-4 small aubergines, halved
-1 tomato, roughly chopped
-1 green paprika, roughly chopped
-2 ½ cups chicken stock or water
-Pasilla Paste
-½ lemon, juiced
-salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
1 Brush the halved aubergines and chicken with pasilla paste.
2 Add about two tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan and bring the heat to medium-high, once hot, sear the chicken skin side down and the aubergines facing down. Allow them to get golden brown on both sides before removing them from the pan and setting aside.
3 Add more olive oil to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Fry the rice with the paprika. Stir often until the rice starts to gain some colour. After a few minutes, add the pasilla paste and the tomatoes and cook for two minutes.
4 Add the chicken stock or water and combine. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper if needed. Bring to a boil and return the chicken and aubergines, nesting them among the rice. Lower the heat to a minimum and cook under a lid for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it set for at least 10 more minutes.
Serve with Greek yoghurt, coriander, lemon zest and freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
- You can use regular aubergines, you can use rounds or cubes. Brush them with the pasilla paste and sear them for added colour and flavour.
- You can skip the chicken and make this completely vegetarian! Add your favourite veggies and pulses instead! The star is the rice that is full of flavour thanks to the pasilla chiles.
#mexicanfood #mexicanflavours #foodie #madeinmexico #mexicantwist #mexicanfoodporn #easyandtasty #mexicanfoodlover #freshfood #foodphotography #eatfreshfood #beautifulfood #cocinamexicana #mexicanproducts #mexicaningredients #mexicandishes #onlinegrocerieslondon #mexicanproductsuk #wholesomemeals #homemademexican #mexicanflavours #Mexicantwist #mexicanadobos #adobomexicano #driedchiles #driedchillies #ontheblog #mexicangastronomy #mexicancuisine #homemademexicanfood #mexicanrice #mexicanchiles #pasillachile