Shelly's Recipe

TORTILLA CRUSTED CHICKEN RELLENOS WITH CILANTRO SAUCE

Category: Chicken

2/3 cup dairy sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 scallions (green onions) finely chopped, green tops included
1 small jalapeno, seeded, finely diced
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 small poblano peppers
6 oz Pepper Jack cheese, cut into 4 strips (1 1/2-oz each)
4 boneless skinless split chicken breasts
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil

To make Cilantro Sauce, place sour cream in medium bowl. Add mayonnaise, scallions, jalapeno and cilantro. Stir to blend well, cover and refrigerate until serving.

Roast whole poblano peppers over hot grill, under broiler or over gas flame of stove. Turn frequently to ensure even roasting and cook until skin is charred and blistering. Placed roasted peppers in plastic bag to steam. When cool enough to handle, cut vertical slit in peppers and remove seeds and stem ends. Remove skins by gently scrapping with knife. Rinse, pat dry with paper towels, and stuff each pepper with a 1 1/2-oz stick of cheese. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and flatten with meat mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. Place cheese-filled pepper in center of each breast. Fold sides over and roll up, enclosing pepper completely. Secure with wooden toothpicks. Place buttermilk in shallow dish. Place crushed tortillas in separate dish and add seasonings, stirring to blend. One by one, dip stuffed chicken in buttermilk and roll in tortilla mixture, pressing lightly to coat all sides. Set aside.

Place oil in large non-stick skillet and heat on medium high. Place chicken in hot skillet and carefully saute about 3 to 5 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove chicken to baking sheet coated with baking spray. Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes until chicken is done and temperature on meat thermometer is 160. To serve, remove toothpicks, place on serving plate and serve with Cilantro Sauce. Serves 4