Chicken Vera Cruz Recipes

EASY CHICKEN VERACRUZ

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the chicken breasts on both sides.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in oil and cook until chicken begins to turn white, about 3 or 4 minutes. Turn and cook until chicken is browned, 3 or 4 more minutes, and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove chicken from skillet.
• Add remaining oil to pan. Stir in onions and red and green bell peppers. Cook and stir until the onions are softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato-basil sauce; let simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until chicken is heated through, a few minutes more.
• Serve over hot rice or quinoa. Garnish with chopped cherry tomatoes, green olives, and capers.

VERACRUZ-STYLE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add whole garlic cloves, and cook, stirring, until golden on all sides. Remove garlic and discard. Add minced garlic and the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
• Add olives, chiles, capers, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, marjoram, oregano, salt, canela, and wine. Cook until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. If using fresh whole herbs, remove and discard before serving.

MEXICAN GRILLED CHICKEN VERACRUZ

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium.
• Blend dressing, 1 can tomatoes and oregano in blender until smooth. Place chicken on large sheet of heavy-duty foil; bring up foil sides. Top chicken with tomato sauce, remaining tomatoes, olives and peppers. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place packet on grate of grill; cover with lid.
• Grill 45 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packet. Serve chicken topped with cheese.

VERACRUZ-STYLE RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until onions begin to turn translucent, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Cook and stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add capers and caper juice; stir to combine.
• Stir in tomatoes, olives, jalapeno pepper, . Cook and stir until jalapeno pepper softens and tomatoes begin to collapse, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in oregano.
• Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil into a small baking dish. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the tomato-olive mixture. Top with 1 snapper fillet, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Top with more filling and juice from 1 lime. Repeat with remaining snapper fillet, seasoning, and lime juice in a second baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until fish is flaky and no longer translucent, 15 to 20 minutes.

CHICKEN VERACRUZ STYLE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Add the chicken to frying pan to sear for about 7-8 minutes per side. Once the chicken is browned remove from pan and keep warm.
• Add onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and carrots and cook for 5 minutes before adding the potatoes.
• Chicken Stew Veracruz Style 4. Cook the vegetables 2 more minutes after adding the potatoes.
• Place chopped tomatoes and cup of water into a blender and process until smooth. Pour tomato mixture into the frying pan using a colander or sieve.
• Add the chicken; bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Add bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, olives, raisins, and capers. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Simmer until chicken and vegetables are cooked (about 10-12 minutes). The cooking time will vary depending on the size and type of chicken pieces.

BAKED CHICKEN VERACRUZ

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in upper third. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange, shingled, in a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish; bake until just tender and edges are golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir together tomatoes, cinnamon, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture over potatoes; scatter with olives, shallots, and oregano sprigs. Top with chicken and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until chicken is browned and crisp and a thermometer inserted into thickest parts (without touching bones) reaches 165 degrees, about 25 minutes. Serve.

EASY SAUTEED FISH FILLETS

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Thoroughly dredge fillets; discard any leftover flour.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish, working in batches if necessary, and cook until lightly browned and just opaque in the center, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

VERACRUZ SAUCE (FOR FISH OR CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Warm oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic briefly to release its flavor.
• Add tomatoes and onions and cook over low heat until tomatoes soften, about 20 minutes.
• Add jalapeño, olives, oregano, capers, water, and salt, to taste. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
• Serve Veracruz Sauce over grilled or pan-fried white fish or chicken breast. Accompany this with white rice , if you like.
• Use one whole red snapper of about 3 pounds or two pounds of snapper filets. If using the whole snapper, clean it and remove the scales, but leave the head and tail on for presentation.
• Prick the fish with a fork on both sides.
• Lay the fish (or the filets) in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Whisk together 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and 2 cloves (diced) of garlic. Pour this marinade over the snapper and refrigerate for about an hour.
• Make Veracruz Sauce (above), but reduce garlic to only 2 or 3 cloves. Simmer sauce for only about 5 minutes after adding jalapeños and other ingredients, as it will finish cooking in the oven.
• Cover the fish with the sauce and bake in a 300 F (150 C) oven for about 30 minutes, turning once.

CHICKEN VERACRUZ

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over high heat. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with the oregano and 1 teaspoon salt. Sear the chicken until well browned, about 7 minutes per side. Meanwhile, slice the poblano into strips and thinly slice the onion. Cut the tomato into 8 wedges and smash the garlic. Once the chicken is browned, scatter the poblano, onion, tomato, garlic, jalapenos and olives over and around the chicken. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the wine and bring to a boil; cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Serve the chicken with the vegetables.

CHICKEN VERACRUZ

Steps:

• 1. Place chicken breast between plastic wrap sheets; using mallet, pound chicken to ¼" thickness; repeat with remaining breasts. Season chicken with adobo. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until light golden brown on both sides, flipping once, about 7 minutes; set aside.
• 2. Add onions; cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and oregano to pan; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add tomato sauce, 1 cup water, olives, capers, bay leaf and jalapenos to pan; bring tomato sauce mixture to boil.
• 3. Transfer chicken to pan; cook, flipping once, until coated in sauce and cooked through, about 15 minutes more. Remove chicken from pan; stir remaining oil into tomato sauce mixture.
• 4. To serve, divide chicken and sauce evenly among serving dishes; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with rice and lime wedge.

CHICKEN VERACRUZ

Steps:

• 1. Place chicken breast between plastic wrap sheets; using mallet, pound chicken to ¼" thickness; repeat with remaining breasts. Season chicken with adobo. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until light golden brown on both sides, flipping once, about 7 minutes; set aside. 2. Add onions; cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and oregano to pan; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add tomato sauce, 1 cup water, olives, capers, bay leaf and jalapeños to pan; bring tomato sauce mixture to boil. 3. Transfer chicken to pan; cook, flipping once, until coated in sauce and cooked through, about 15 minutes more. Remove chicken from pan; stir remaining oil into tomato sauce mixture. 4. To serve, divide chicken and sauce evenly among serving dishes; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with rice and lime wedge.

CHICKEN VERA CRUZ

Steps:

• Place onion in a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Top with potatoes and chicken thighs.
• Drain juices from one can of tomatoes and discard the juice. In a bowl stir together the drained and undrained tomatoes, the jalapeno pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, and cloves. Pour over all in cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 hours.
• Meanwhile In a small bowl stir together the snipped parsley and chopped olives.
• Sprinkle Parsley-Olive Topping over individual servings.