Poblano Chicken

Since Peru, I've been experimenting with more peppers.  So, in the next few recipes, you'll see a bit of a Peruvian influence.  I came across this recipe one morning last week.  While organizing my spin playlist, The Rachael Ray show was on in the background.  She's so annoying, but just when I was about to flip the channel, she spoke my language - poblano peppers and cheese!  I'll admit, I had to flip the channel anyway.  As she threw the cheese on the top of the dish, she said something like, "Yeah, I did it."  That was my breaking point.  I'm not sure if it's her squeaky, but loud voice or her mannerisms, but she drives me crazy.  In any event, I got the basics.

What you'll need:
3 poblano peppers - chopped and seeded
1 cup chicken stock
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
a small handful of cilantro
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used pepper jack because that's what I had in the house)

What to do:
In a food processor or blender, combine the peppers, chicken stock, onion, cloves, cilantro, and salt and pepper until smooth.

 In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter.  Add the flour and whisk.  Pour in the milk and cream and raise the heat just a bit. Add the poblano sauce and allow to simmer and thicken for about 15 minutes (just enough time to brown the chicken).

Heat the oven to 375.

In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan.  Brown the chicken on both sides.  Put the chicken in a casserole dish and pour the sauce over the chicken.  Then, cover the chicken and sauce with the cheese.  Bake the chicken for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is brown a bubbly.

I served this with rice, but you could shred the chicken and serve in tortillas.

Enjoy!