Impress the boss by making this! – Tastes even better the next day – Top quality recipe! – Lovely served with a Greek or Probiotic Tzatziki Salad of garlic-flavored Greek Yogurt and cucumbers. You may also make this with minced beef.
Servings: 6 – 8 Per 435 g portion: 1,007 calories.
Total Calories of dish: 8,057 Total Weight of dish: 3481 g
Made mine in a 5 liter Brabantia Wok using the extender ring and element head of a Logik Halogen Convection Oven or FlavorWave Oven acting as an energy-saving mini oven.
Delish dish topped with homemade thick Greek Yogurt or Cream Cheese which you may blend in some cream to taste. Sprinkled with lots of grated sharp cheddar cheese studded with thinly sliced jalapenos which really do something special for this dish!
You may also intersperse some thinly sliced olives amongst your jalapenos – Do NOT add any liquid at all to this dish!
You may swap Pasta for Lasagna sheets, and tortillas or may use the recipe for Malay Rotis which will make 7 – 8 and Serve as wraps together with sambal and lots of sharp cheddar cheese.
Store fresh jalapenos in the freezer – Cut neatly into thin slices this way from frozen.
Oval-shaped Jam or Italian Tomatoes are preferable for this dish.
Green peppercorns or a mixture of both black and green are lovely for this dish.
Ingredients:
1.544 kg (8) chicken thighs, whole
60 g chicken fat
250 g tomatoes, pureed
5 ml sugar, to taste
480 g cheddar cheese
500 ml cream cheese
1 egg
2 (14 g) jalapenos (pepper)
290 g (1-2 small-medium) onions
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon (7 g) chili or cayenne powder or 30 ml crushed dried Kashmiri chili flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika, smoked
15 ml cumin powder
1 tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp black peppercorns, whole
400 g pasta
Method:
Step 1: Grill your chicken with a little salt to taste with a pan placed beneath to catch juices and fats – Reserve chicken fats and drippings. Allow cooling and debone reserving meat. Add whole garlic cloves and roughly chopped onions to a food processor and with a metal blade pulse until finely pureed. Cook your tomatoes in a micro-safe container, sealed until soft. Add sugar and salt to taste and puree with a stick blender. Set aside.
Step 2: – Taco Seasoning: To a micro-safe saucer add your cumin seeds, whole black peppercorns, and crushed chilies excluding powder and oregano. – In a 1000-watt microwave cook whole spices on high for 96 seconds or until they release their aroma and are nicely toasted. Do NOT burn – Remove and set aside to cool. Add contents to the coffee grinder together with a pinch of plain or coarse salt and grind to a fairly coarse powder. Empty contents into a small bowl and now you may add your powdered chili (If using) together with paprika and oregano. Mix them all together.
Step 3: Add reserved chicken fat to your pan or large 5-liter electric wok – You may do this in a saucepan over the stovetop. Dissolve fat and add onion and garlic puree – Saute until tender. Add shredded chicken together with Taco seasoning and pureed tomatoes. Heat up and keep hot whilst you get your pasta ready.
Step 4: In a micro-safe container bring 1.6 liters of salted water to a boil. Weigh your pasta and as soon as the water comes to a rolling boil quickly throw in your pasta giving it a quick stir place it into the microwave and cook on high for 7 minutes. Check it is al dente and then immediately empty pasta into a colander or sieve shaking out water and whilst still hot toss pasta through your meat mixture. Taste for seasoning and if you like a stronger garlic flavor you may crush an extra clove or two with salt and toss through the pasta. – If you are not using an electric wok you may add your meat mixture to a roasting pan or 9 x 13″ baking dish.
Step 5: In a separate container weigh your cream cheese or Greek yogurt and crack over your egg. Beat with an electric beater or hand-held blender until smooth adding cream to taste if wish. For Lasagna or if Using Tortillas: Cover the bottom with a small amount of meat sauce. Place a layer of overlapping tortillas or lasagna sheets covering the bottom of the dish. Continue to layer with meat mixture, cream or cream cheese mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers once more and top with green chilies, the final layer of tortillas or lasagna sheets, and lastly with the remaining cheese studded with thin slices of jalapenos. For Ziti Pasta or if using Macaroni: After mixing all together – Level the surface so that it is ready for topping. In a separate container weigh your cream cheese or greek yogurt and crack over your egg. Beat with an electric beater or hand-held blender until smooth adding cream to taste if wish. Using a spatula empty the egg cream cheese mixture over the surface of the meat mixture spreading it out evenly with a spatula. – Grate cheese and sprinkle evenly over cream cheese topping. – Slice whole frozen jalapenos very thinly into rings and place evenly over the cheese topping.
Bake 180 C (356 F) in a conventional oven or 175 C (350 F) directly in an electric wok with the element head of the Halogen Convection Oven oven placed onto the Extender Ring until light golden brown or to your own liking. keep warm from underneath by keeping the wok element temperature on the lowest setting. Allow cooling for 5 minutes before serving. – Enjoy!