There was a time when the thought of preparing pipian was impossible for me. Because it’s a traditional dish that is known to take hours to prepare, I never thought of giving it a chance to even glance at the recipe let alone make it in my own kitchen.
Years went by and slowly but surely, I began to ease my way into making sauces, moles and pipians. This time, I though I would try a red pipian for any chicken or turkey that happens to be leftover during the holday season.
This particular pipian is much simpler and not as time consuming as the authentic version. This one is quick, easy and can be easily stored to top any other meats or vegetables such as tender pork, cubed beef or even cactus strips on those days you’d like to cut back on eating meat.
Cremas have also become a staple in my kitchen throughout the years. I used to think of them as a topping for my tacos, enchiladas and sopes but with all this cooking practice, I began to incorporate them in my favorite dishes.
This time I used Cacique Crema Salvadoreña to enhance my pipian sauce with a bit of tang. It’s also a great way to tame the heat of this sauce if it turns out too spicy.
Whether it’s a major ingredient in your recipe or a drizzle on your favorite dishes, Cacique Cremas are a great way to take your meals to a whole new level of taste and ease in preparation. Give my recipe a try. You’ll be surprised how simple it is to prepare this traditional sauce at home for your entire family to enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut up, bone-in and skin on
- 1/2 white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 8 cups water
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1/3 cup onion, roughly chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 6 dried guajillo chiles, tops and seeds removed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 2/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) plus 1/4 cup for garnish, toasted
- 1/2 cup Cacique Crema Salvadoreña plus more for garnish
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, place chicken pieces, onion, garlic, chicken bouillon, bay leaves and cover with water.
- Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 35 minutes. Remove from heat and strain 6 cups of chicken broth. Set chicken and broth aside; keep warm.
- In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and galic cloves. Saute for 2 minutes stirring frequently.
- Add 3 cups chicken broth, ground cumin and chicken bouillon to sauteed dried chile mixture. Decrease heat to medium low and simmer for 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Place mixture in a blender container and blend until smooth. Add pine nuts, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds to blender mixture and blend until completely smooth. Adjust salt if needed.
- Return chile mixture to sautee pan over low medium heat and bring to a boil. Add crema and reduce heat to low medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve chicken and top with sauce. Garnish with remaining pepitas and a drizzle of crema.
This is a sponsored post by Cacique Inc. All opininos are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.
Comments are closed.