Marinade:
8 garlic cloves
1Tbs diamond crystal kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1Tbs ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
4 Tbs lime juice preferably of the smaller lime variety
1.5 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
3.5 Lbs. bone in, skinless chicken thighs
Cooking Sauce:
4 Tbs olive oil
2 Serrano pepper, sliced
2 anchovies (optional but has such a great effect)
1/2 large onion, large dice
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
.75 lbs. Roma tomatoes, cut in half and scraped with box scraper
1 bay leaves
8 oz coconut milk
1 Tbs Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 bunch cilantro
Marinating:
Place garlic in mortar with the salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano and mash to a coarse paste
Stir in lime, Worcestershire sauce
Place chicken pieces in large bowl, add marinade, rub in aggressively then transfer to a plastic bag for 2 hours at room temperature or maximum 6 in refrigerator
Cooking: (following steps will take about 2 or 2.5 hours to prepare)
Scrape as much marinade as possible off chicken and from bag and reserve
Heat the oil in a 12 to 13 inch saucepan over medium high heat
Dry chicken pieces to insure nice caramelization
Once hot add chicken pieces and brown both sides taking care not to burn the drippings. This should take 15-20 minutes. Set aside chicken
Add serrano peppers, cook 1 minute
Add marinade and cook 30 seconds
Add extra oil if needed now
Add onion and saute until soft
Add anchovies (optional)
Add bell peppers and cook until soft
Add carrots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes
Add tomato and bay leaves and reduce until most liquid has evaporated and the resulting combination is significantly more chunky than liquid, about 20-30 minutes
Add in coconut milk and, once again, concentrate flavors by sauteing until most of the liquid has evaporated and the resulting sauce is more chunky than liquid. This should also take 10-15 minutes
Taste for salt
Place chicken skin side up so that "ideally" 1/2 of chicken is submerged and you will be braising rather than boiling
Bring to simmer and cook covered for 35-45 or minutes until chicken is fork tender.
Add Cilantro last 2 -3 minutes and return cover
When done, remove bay leaves and serve
The original recipe called for skin on, bone in thighs. I have trouble however obtaining crispy skin after marinading and, if moderately successful, lose it when braising. I insure then that I use enough oil when making the sauce to compensate for the fat that would have been rendered had I kept the skins on.
