Guajillo Chicken Recipe

Prepare guajillo paste and brine

Toast the dried guajillo chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat 20–30 seconds per side until aromatic but not burned. Remove stems and seeds if not already removed. Place toasted chiles and garlic cloves in a heatproof bowl and cover with 1 cup very hot water; soak 15 minutes until softened. Transfer soaked chiles and garlic to a blender, add 1/2 cup of the brine water from the hash (or 1/2 cup fresh water), brown sugar, cumin, smoked paprika and blend until smooth. Add apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup water and blend again to make a thin chile brine.

Brine chicken

Place chicken breasts in a shallow container or resealable bag. Pour chile brine over chicken so breasts are submerged (add extra water if needed). Refrigerate and brine for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours. Remove chicken from brine, discard brine, pat chicken dry with paper towels, then rub olive oil and lime juice over chicken and let sit 10 minutes at room temperature.

Cook chicken

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken breasts 2–3 minutes per side until golden. Transfer skillet to oven and roast 8–12 minutes until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Rest chicken 5 minutes, then slice thinly on a bias.

While chicken brines, prepare the hash. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add diced sweet potatoes in a single layer and cook without stirring 4–5 minutes to develop color. Stir and continue to cook 6–8 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Push sweet potatoes to one side of the pan and add diced onion, red bell pepper and minced jalapeño. Sauté 4–5 minutes until vegetables soften. Add minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and chopped chipotle; cook 1 minute until fragrant.

Combine vegetables with sweet potatoes, season with kosher salt and black pepper, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 2–3 minutes to marry flavors. Stir in chopped cilantro and adjust heat with a squeeze of lime if desired. Keep warm until serving.

Preheat broiler (or a very hot skillet). Place halved tomatillos, jalapeño and quartered onion on a sheet pan, drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and broil 6–8 minutes, turning once, until charred and softened. Roast garlic in foil near the pan for 6–8 minutes until softened.

Transfer roasted tomatillos, jalapeño (remove seeds for milder salsa if desired), onion and garlic to a blender. Add cilantro, lime juice, kosher salt and 1–2 tablespoons water. Pulse/blend to a medium-smooth salsa. Taste and adjust salt or lime. Chill briefly or serve warm.

Divide the warm sweet potato hash among 4 plates (about 3/4 cup per plate). Fan 1 sliced chile-brined chicken breast over each portion of hash.

Spoon 2–3 tablespoons roasted tomatillo salsa over each chicken portion. Crumble about 2 tablespoons Capricho de Cabra goat cheese evenly over each plate.

Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil over each plate, sprinkle flaky sea salt to taste, and garnish with microgreens or extra cilantro and a lime wedge.