Capón Guanajuatense con Xoconostle

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10 to 12 inch cast iron comal for toasting chiles and roasting aromatics
• •Heavy 5 to 6 quart clay cazuela or Dutch oven
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Sharp paring knife for cleaning xoconostles

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the chicken

   Pat the chicken pieces dry and season them with the salt. Let them sit while you prepare the xoconostles and chiles. This short rest gives the meat time to take in the salt instead of leaving all the seasoning floating in the broth.

2. 2

   Clean the xoconostles

   Peel the xoconostles with a small knife. Cut each fruit in half and scoop out the seed center with a spoon, then cut the firm flesh into thick wedges. Do not throw the whole fruit into the pot. The seed center can make the broth muddy and too sharp. You want the clean sour flesh.

   Good xoconostle feels firm and heavy, with a dry cactus-fruit smell. If it is wrinkled and hollow, leave it at the market stall.
3. 3

   Toast the guajillos

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile guajillo pieces a few seconds per side, pressing them flat with tongs until they darken slightly and smell fruity. Do not blacken them. Guajillo gives color and a clean red flavor, but burned guajillo gives bitterness and no apology will fix it.

4. 4

   Soak and roast

   Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water for 15 minutes. While they soften, roast the onion slices and unpeeled garlic on the comal until the onion has brown spots and the garlic skins are charred in places. Peel the garlic. This is where the broth gets its backbone.

5. 5

   Blend the chile

   Drain the softened chiles and put them in a blender with the roasted onion, peeled garlic, cilantro stems, oregano, and 1 cup of the chicken broth or water. Blend until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard on the solids. A capón broth should taste clean, not leathery from chile skins.

6. 6

   Brown the chicken

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a heavy cazuela or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the chicken pieces in batches, skin side down first, until the surface turns golden in spots. You are not cooking the chicken through yet. You are building flavor in the fat. La manteca es el sabor.

7. 7

   Fry the sauce

   Remove the browned chicken to a plate. Pour the strained chile puree into the hot fat carefully because it will sputter. Stir for 5 to 7 minutes, until the red deepens and the fat begins to separate at the edge of the cazuela. This step matters. Raw chile paste tastes thin. Fried chile paste tastes like somebody knew what they were doing.

8. 8

   Simmer the capón

   Return the chicken to the cazuela and add the remaining 5 cups broth or water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat. Cover partially and cook for 25 minutes. The bubbles should be steady but calm. A violent boil roughs up the meat and clouds the broth.

9. 9

   Add corn and xoconostle

   Stir in the cooked cacahuazintle corn and the xoconostle wedges. Simmer uncovered for 18 to 22 minutes, until the chicken is tender, the corn has taken on the chile broth, and the xoconostle is softened but still visible in distinct pieces. If you use a thermometer, the thickest chicken piece should register 165F.

10. 10

    Finish with chilcuague

    Add the chilcuague root or ground chilcuague during the last 5 minutes of cooking. If using a piece of root, remove it before serving. Taste the broth and adjust salt. The chilcuague should leave a light tingle at the back of the mouth, not numb your tongue. No me vengas con atajos. Measure it.

11. 11

    Serve in barro

    Tear the cilantro leaves over the cazuela just before serving. Ladle the capón into deep clay bowls with chicken, cacahuazintle, and xoconostle in each portion. Put chopped cilantro, diced white onion, and warm hand-pressed corn tortillas on the table. The broth is already acidic. Do not bury it under lime. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy xoconostle at a mercado where the vendor can tell you when it came in. In Guanajuato, look for fruit from the nopaleras around Dolores Hidalgo, San Luis de la Paz, or San Miguel de Allende. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Chile guajillo should be pliable and brick red, not brittle and dusty. If it cracks like old paper, it has been sitting too long and your broth will taste tired.
• •Chilcuague is powerful. It belongs to the Sierra Gorda and parts of Guanajuato and Querétaro, and it gives that electric Bajío finish. Use a small piece. More is not more here.
• •If you make the fish version, use 2 pounds firm freshwater fish such as bagre or carp steaks. Fry the chile paste first, simmer the corn and xoconostle for 20 minutes, then add the fish for the final 8 to 10 minutes. Do not brown the fish like chicken.
• •If you cannot find xoconostle, tomatillo will give acidity, but it will not give the same cactus-fruit bite. That is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The Bajío is not a footnote between Jalisco and the capital. It has pepita, garambullo, chilcuague, dairy from old haciendas, and corn dishes that belong to its own geography. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook dried cacahuazintle one day ahead if you are starting from raw maiz pozolero. Soak it overnight, then simmer until tender. The recipe time assumes cooked corn.
• •The guajillo sauce can be toasted, blended, strained, and refrigerated one day ahead. Fry it in manteca de cerdo only when you make the stew.
• •Capón tastes good the same day and stronger the next day. Reheat it gently so the chicken stays tender and the xoconostle pieces do not fall apart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)