Honeymoon Chicken

a favorite from Simply Julia!

A surreal opportunity that comes with writing cookbooks is revisiting your own recipes. Honeymoon Chicken is one of my favorites from Simply Julia . To make it, you coat chicken pieces with olive oil + spices, roast them on a bed of onions/garlic/tomatoes/torn corn tortillas, then purée all of that stuff in a blender with chipotles and it’s the most delicious sauce to pour over that roast chicken. I named the recipe in homage to the tortilla soup Grace and I ate during our honeymoon, all the flavors of which are right here in this recipe. I love the way cooking allows you to extend your favorite memories.

Here’s the finished dish. There’s more sauce where that came from….

Above is the recipe as it appears in the book. I opted to photograph all of the ingredients for this recipe since I think it’s just a beautiful collection of things, but I sorta regret not showing you the finished dish because that’s also very beautiful! Which is really a reminder why I’m so grateful to have this newsletter to share more with you. Like finished photos. And more thoughts on what you can do with this recipe! First, let me share the actual recipe, which serves four very generously.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into parts (or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons red chile powder (ground ancho or chipotle are my favorites, but use whatever you have)

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 1 large tomato, cored and roughly chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• Three 6-inch [15-cm] corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces

• 1/2 cup [120 ml] chicken stock (homemade, store-bought, or water or beer work) IF NEEDED

• 1 or 2 canned chipotle peppers, plus 1 tablespoon of its accompanying adobo sauce

• 1 large handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped (a little stem is fine), OPTIONAL

STEPS:

1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF [200ºC].

2. Place the chicken in a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, the chile powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Use your hands to rub the oil and seasonings all over the chicken.

3. Place the onion, tomato, garlic, and tortilla pieces in a large ovenproof skillet or baking dish. Mix them together with your hands and spread the mixture out in an even layer. Place the seasoned chicken pieces, skin-side-up, on top of the vegetable mixture.

4. Roast until the chicken is browned, firm to the touch, and registers at least 165ºF [74ºC] on a digital thermometer, 45 to 50 minutes.

5. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep it warm.

6. Transfer the onions, tomato, garlic, tortilla pieces, and any cooking juices from the skillet into a blender along with the chicken stock IF NEEDED (if there’s a lot of cooking juices in the skillet, skip the stock and only add it if you feel that your sauce is too thick). Add one of the canned chipotle peppers and the tablespoon of adobo sauce. Blend until smooth, and if you’d like it spicier, add the second pepper (easier to add one than take it out!). Season the sauce to taste with salt.

7. Serve the chicken with the sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro if you like the cilantro. If not, skip it!

Step by step!

Want to see the recipe IN ACTION!? Head here to my IG reel. Content!

WAYS TO SERVE HONEYMOON CHICKEN:

• Serve with additional warm corn tortillas and build tacos with the meat + sauce. Serve with pickled onions + thinly sliced radishes for some brightness + crunch.

• Serve on top of anything that can absorb lots of sauce— rice, creamy grits, mashed sweet potatoes…

• Serve with fried plantains + black beans.

• Serve rice + beans + greens (as pictured below).

• Serve with an avocado salad such as Bibb or romaine lettuce dressed with olive oil + lime juice topped with diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, crumbled cotija or feta cheese + toasted pumpkin seeds.

• Let the chicken rest until it’s cool enough to handle, shred it, and mix it with the sauce + use to fill enchiladas, quesadillas, or burritos. Or mix the shredded chicken + sauce with cooked rice and serve as a cozy stewy number. This is also a great way to reinvent leftovers, which brings me to my next set of bullet points…

WAYS TO REPURPOSE LEFTOVERS:

• TORTILLA SOUP: Shred whatever chicken is left, combine it with whatever sauce is left + then add enough chicken stock to make a soup and voilà, the best tortilla soup! Serve with crispy tortilla strips or chips, sour cream, diced avocado, thinly sliced radishes and/or whatever are your favorite tortilla soup toppings.

• CHILI: Dice an onion, sauté with some minced garlic, add a big spoonful of cumin and a big spoonful of chile powder. Shred whatever chicken is left and add it to the onion with whatever sauce is left plus a can of drained black beans, a can of drained kidney beans, and a can of diced tomatoes. Let it all simmer together for at least 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

• TAMALE PIE: Shred whatever chicken is left and mix in a large baking dish with whatever sauce is left. Add 2 cups of corn kernels (fresh or frozen), plus a can of drained black beans and stir it all well to combine. Top with your favorite cornbread batter + bake until the cornbread is cooked through. So cozy!!!

Before I go! Just a reminder about my cooking class this Sunday (Sept. 18th at 2pm EST). This weekend’s menu is for a Vegetarian Red Checkered Tablecloth Dinner + it includes:

• Rosemary Gin Spritzers

• Caper Caesar Salad

• Easy Spinach Lasagna

• Lemony Ricotta Fritters

There will be no boiling of lasagna noodles before layering! No anchovies the caesar! There will be lots of easy-but-impressive cooking and you can ask me whatever you’d like during class. As always, class includes recipes, a grocery list + a recording. Hope to see you there! You can get more information + signup here.

xoxoox, Julia