Mexican cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Pollo en Pipián Verde

Chicken in a velvety sauce of toasted pumpkin seeds, tomatillos and cilantro – Mexico's green mole.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 kg chicken pieces
• 150g pumpkin seeds
• 500g tomatillos
• 2 green chiles (serrano)
• 1 white onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 1 liter chicken broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Place the chicken pieces in a pot with half an onion, one garlic clove and the chicken broth, and poach gently over low heat for 30 minutes; remove the meat and reserve the broth.
2. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until they start popping and smell nutty – they must not darken.
3. Simmer the tomatillos, chiles, remaining onion and remaining garlic in 300ml of the broth for 8 minutes until soft.
4. Blend the pumpkin seeds, cooked vegetables, cilantro, lettuce leaves and cumin with another 300ml of broth until completely smooth.
5. Heat the oil in a pot, pour in the purée – it will splatter briefly – and simmer over low heat, stirring, for 10 minutes until the pipián visibly thickens; it must not boil hard, or it will curdle.
6. Warm the chicken pieces in the sauce for 5 minutes, season to taste and serve sprinkled with a few toasted pumpkin seeds.