I can’t help myself. I love my new Rick Bayless cookbook and after the success of the chipotle meatballs last week, it was hard not to try another recipe from it. I’ve also found that I really like the flavors and the freshness of the food. Sometimes the prep takes a while because there are multiple steps (like making a sauce here) but the recipes are easy to double, leaving you with enough sauce for another meal or to use as a salsa with chips.

I couldn’t find the exact recipe I used on his web site– the link to this one is for pork– so here is what I did differently based on the cookbook recipe:

I doubled the amount of sauce I made so I would have leftover for other meals and snacks. What I like about his tomatillo recipes is that he broils all the ingredients, usually recipes have you boiling the tomatillos but everything else needs to be roasted, too. It’s very easy to throw it all on a pan and then into the oven. And don’t forget to include the juice you find on the pan!

I used regular baking potatoes and cut them in pieces. Also, instead of the poblano chile, I used a green chile sauce we had on hand.

After the sauce has pureed, heat up a tablespoon of oil in a pot and then pour the puree into it. After it’s heated for about four minutes and the consistency of tomato sauce, add about 1 ½ cups of broth or water (I used chicken broth) and a ¼ cup of chopped cilantro. When it’s heated again, it’s ready for use. I used two cups of it for the chicken dish and placed the rest of it in the refrigerator.

I browned five thighs and removed them from the pan and then added the tomatillo sauce and more broth (another 1 cup) and let it reduce (again). Then I added the potatoes, the green chile sauce, a few tablespoons of cilantro, and heated it up. Finally, I added the chicken again and covered the skillet, letting it cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken was cooked.

And I’m guessing this will be even better today, the second day.

I had never used chipotles en adobo– the canned chipotle peppers. For years I saw recipes that called for it and looked once at the store and couldn’t find it so I stopped trying those recipes. But I figured I could find them now at my local grocery store in the Hispanic section and I decided it was time to try them.

What I didn’t anticipate is that because of another ethnic group, the Hispanic foods have been squeezed out at my local Smith’s. I won’t reveal the other group– I think they do deserve space- but I am quite honestly baffled because Mexican food is very popular right now.

That meant I was off to Walmart (I kept hoping Target would have them because I was going there but I wasn’t so lucky) where I stocked up on several cans so I wouldn’t have to go back to Walmart any time soon.

Of course I bought several cans not knowing what they tasted like. I wasn’t disappointed: I loved the smoky flavor. I felt like I was eating BBQ sauce with a kick.

Recently I bought my second Rick Bayless cookbook and this was the first recipe that I tried. I served it with diced baked potatoes but next time (and Greg has assured me there should be a second time) I’ll do mashed potatoes. The meatballs are easy to make and the sauce could be used for a variety of dishes.

Find the recipe here.