Chicken-Stuffed Roasted Poblanos (Paleo Chile Rellenos)

Ingredients:

8 Poblano Peppers

Chile-Stewed Chicken (Recipe Below)

Chicken Filling (Recipe Below)

Tomatillo Salsa (Recipe Below)

Chile-Stewed Chicken

4 T. Olive Oil

6 Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered 

2 Anaheim Peppers

2 Jalapeno Peppers

1 Large Red Onion, peeled and sliced into 1" rings

6 Garlic Cloves

Handful of Fresh Cilantro, plus extra for garnish

3-4lb Chicken

1 Yam, cubed

1. Preheat an oven to 375°F. 
2. Rub the chilies (include poblano peppers in this mix, but set aside after roasting), tomatillos, and onions with 3T. olive oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and roast, turning occasionally, until blistered and soft, about 30 minutes. 
3. Let cool, then remove the skins, cores and seeds. Carefully cut a slit down one side of each poblano pepper and remove the seeds; these will be used for stuffing, so you want them to look nice.
4. Set aside poblanos and add remaining chilies, tomatillos, and onions to a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. 
5. Add remaining 1T. olive oil to a heated dutch oven (you can also use a crock pot). Add chicken and yams and toss to coat. Pour pureed chile mixture over the chicken, cover pot with a lid, and transfer to the oven. 
6. Cook until chicken is cooked trough and begins to fall off the bone. 
7. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside, to cool (or shred while hot, if your hands can handle it), and shred. Mash the yams into the sauce or puree until slightly smooth (small chunks are fine). 

*This will make a little more chicken than you'll need for the rellenos, but you can use the leftovers in a taco-style salad, served in lettuce leaves with avocado for an easy lunch, or just eaten on it's own. 

Before Roasting

After Roasting. Before Pureeing.

Chicken. Before Cooking.

Sauce. After Cooking.

Chicken Filling

2 Cup Sauce from Stewed Chicken (recipe above)

8 Cups Shredded Stewed Chicken (recipe above)

1 T. Chile Powder

2 tsp. Ground Cumin

1 tsp. Ground Coriander

1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp. Sea Salt, or more, to taste

2 Cups Finely Chopped Cauliflower (about 1/4 head)

8oz Goat Cheese (optional for Primal-eaters)

1. Mix all ingredients, except for goat cheese (if using), in a large bowl. 
2. Stuff the poblano peppers with the chicken filling, add 1oz of goat cheese to each pepper (if using, and wrap to close. If you like, secure the stuffing with toothpicks. Place peppers in a baking dish. 
3. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 1 hour. 
4. Serve with sliced avocado or guacamole, tomatillo salsa (recipe below), and fresh cilantro. 

Tomatillo Salsa

6 Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered 

3 Jalapeno, quartered and seeded

Large Handful Fresh Cilantro

3 Garlic Cloves 

1 T. Sea Salt

1/2 T. Black Pepper

2 Tbs. Fresh Lime Juice

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Pulse several times until combined but still fairly chunky. 
2. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper and lime juice; the salsa should be vibrant green in color.

This isn't one of those "throw it together really quick" meals, but it is really tasty and worth the time. You can make these on the weekend, in a large batch, and have meals for the week. I also used the tomatillo salsa with ground beef and made a really tasty ground beef chile verde (just brown meat and add salsa to the hot pan, toss, and serve with avocado and cilantro). 

Ground Beef Chile Verde