I started by boiling chicken breasts in a large pot of water with 2 halved lemons, fresh cracked black pepper, salt, garlic and bay leaves. Once they finished cooking, I pulled them out of the hot water to cool. It was a good time for Friday-evening drinks not he driveway to kick off Talal's birthday weekend.
After a couple homemade amaretto sours, I made my way upstairs. I shredded the chicken while my beautiful Central Market poblano peppers sat on the open fire, charring on all side. When I pulled the peppers out, I made sure to cover them in a dish to make peeling them easier. I diced some mushrooms, sautéed them, and seasoned them with garlic powder, oregano, chili powder, and salt. I added in the chicken and when it cooled slightly, I tossed in shredded pepper jack.
In the meantime, I switched gears and created a special sauce for my plate - piquillo peppers from a jar, chipotle in adobo, honey, apple cider vinegar, honey and a touch of water. I poured the sauce onto the bottom of two plates and gently swirled them around until I covered the bottom of the plate, eagerly awaiting the special event.
Using the back of my pairing knife, I scraped off the black layer not he poblano peppers. Cutting a thin slit on one side, I removed the seeds and generously stuffed them with chicken-mushroom mixture. I topped it with cheese and tossed it into the oven to melt.
It occurred to me that there was a lot of heat on the plate - pepper jack, pepper hot sauce, and a whole freaking pepper - so I made a small dollop of sour cream and gently placed it not he plate, with a light zesting of lime.
I lovingly placed the poblano pepper on the plate and dotted the plate with balsamic glaze.
This was among the prettiest plates I'd ever made for dinner. I'm also proud to say that Talal noticed ;) Now, I have to admit, this dish was inspired by Bobby's Flay. It was delicious and I can't wait to eat it again with the rest of my beautiful peppers.
At Home
With Talal