Hatch Chile Chicken Salad

It's Hatch chile pepper time in the Southwest. If you aren't familiar with what that means, don't worry, I wasn't either until I moved to Dallas four years ago. Hatch chiles are a specific type of green chile grown in Hatch, New Mexico, and distributed to grocers nationwide in late August every year. The Hatch pepper is widely regarded as the cream of the chile pepper crop. It is similar in shape to the Anaheim pepper, but with a darker color, sometimes with an orange tint and a bigger bite.

Photo credit: Houston Chronicle

Since these green gems are only available once a year, devotees will buy them by the case, roast them and freeze them for later use. The beauty of freezing hatch peppers is that they only get hotter the longer you wait to use them! I havn't quite reached the level of buying hatch peppers by the case, but I definitely find myself called to Central Market every time I smell them roasting the peppers out front.

So, as usual, this week I purchased two containers of Hatch and was determined to create my own recipes that would feature my favorite pepper. Knowing that Robert and I would be hitting the road to drive to San Marcos to spend the long weekend with my parents, I decided that one recipe would need to be chicken salad.

What does chicken salad have to do with our road trip? Well, Robert and I have a tradition that whenever we are on a drive that will last through a meal, we like to pack food so that we aren't forced to stop and eat fast food along the way. We have specific criteria for what food we pack: it must be relatively healthy (aka not fried) and it must be easily consumed by the driver without impacting their ability to focus on the road. Chicken salad has been that solution!

Typically we purchase a tub of chicken salad from our favorite spot in Dallas, along with a sleeve of crackers and while we're driving I will put a spoonful of salad on a cracker and hand it to Robert to eat. This time we used my Hatch Chicken Salad instead for a delightful treat! I used my Orange Cranberry Chicken Salad recipe as a jumping off point and incorporated ingredients I thought would both complement and highlight the flavor of the pepper. Robert and I both agree, this chicken salad is unlike any we've ever tasted before! It's fresh and light tasting and every now and then has a slight kick from a stray seed. We highly recommend it!

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Hatch Chile Chicken Salad


Ingredients
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/2 cup chopped roasted hatch peppers

Instructions
In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, vinegar and lime juice.

 Whisk to combine.

In a larger bowl combine the chicken, shallots, peppers and cilantro.

 Pour in the mayo mixtures and stir to fully combine.

Attempt to store in a container until ready for your road trip only to find your husband sneaking a bite!

Enjoy with crackers, fruit and nuts for a light meal on a hot summer day.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

A few Christmases ago, I received the Nordstrom Flavors Cookbook as a gift. This cookbook is full of great recipes, my favorite by far is the cilantro lime chicken tacos. This was the first taco recipe I had attempted, or really seen, that did not involve taco seasoning packets or mixes. Instead, lime juice and cilantro play the starring seasoning role in both flavoring the taco meat and the vinaigrette that serves as the sauce.

Robert also loves these tacos and regularly requests it when asked what he wants to eat during a given week. Additionally, I often serve these tacos to dinner guests as it is easy to prepare and keeps me from having to spend most of the evening in the kitchen finishing up dinner. If you or any of your dinner companions have an aversion to cilantro, have no fear. You can easily omit the cilantro from the taco meat and leave the cilantro to the vinaigrette so those who do enjoy cilantro can still get a taste.

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Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos


Vinaigrette Ingredients
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
pinch of Kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions
In a food processor or blender add the seasoned rice vinegar,

lime juice,

honey,

garlic, salt and chipotle pepper.

Turn on the machine. While it's running, pour the oil in a small, steady stream to make a thick sauce.

Gradually add in the cilantro until the mixture becomes dark green in color.

 Place in a serving bowl and set aside while you make the taco filling.

Taco Filling Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound ground chicken (or ground turkey if chicken is unavailable)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper to the oil.

Cook until chicken is cooked through.
Add the soy sauce,

 and lime juice to the chicken.

Simmer until the liquid is almost completely reduced. Place in a serving bowl.

Serve with chopped yellow bell pepper, chopped romaine lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes, queso fresco, flour or corn tortillas and the vinaigrette.

Source: Nordstrom Flavors Cookbook