Almond-poached chicken salad

Chicken breast, boneless, skinless	1 ½ pounds
Almond “milk”*, unsweetened	3 cups
Salt, kosher	1 tablespoon +
Pepper, freshly ground
Oil, extra-virgin olive	¼ cup
Vinegar, apple cider	3 tablespoons
Cauliflower, cored, cut into florets, thinly sliced	1 small head
Radishes, thinly sliced	4
Arugula	2 cups
Dill fronds, chopped	2/3 cup
Basil leaves, torn	½ cup
Almonds, roasted, salted, chopped	½ cup +

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the chicken with the almond “milk”* product. 
2. Add the salt, and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. 
3. Flip the chicken, and gently simmer until cooked through, about 7 minutes. 
4. Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid, and transfer to a plate; discard the poaching liquid. 
5. Let rest 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool. 
6. Shred the meat. 
7. In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. 
8. Add the chicken, cauliflower, and radishes; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. 
9. Gently fold in the arugula, dill, basil, and ½-cup almonds. 
10. Transfer the salad to plates, garnish with more chopped almonds, and serve. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, August 2017. 

*Almonds are not milked. As a former dairy farmer, with more than 20 years of pulling bovine teats to my credit, I feel calling an extraction of almond juice “milk” to be annoyingly inaccurate and misleading to an already bewildered customer.

Chicken-tomatillo fajitas with fried jalapeño rings

Chicken legs	4 whole
Oil, canola	¼ cup +
Salt, kosher
Pepper, freshly ground
Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, chopped	1 pound
Jalapeño, chopped ¼-inch slice	1 large + 3
Buttermilk	1 cup
Flour	¼ cup
Garlic, crushed	3 cloves
Scallions, chopped	1 bunch
Broth, chicken, low sodium	2 cups
Cilantro leaves	1 ½ cups
Tortillas, flour, warmed
Radishes, sliced
Pico de gallo
Sour cream

1. Preheat to 450°F; set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. 
2. Rub the chicken with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Arrange the chicken on the rack, and roast for 45 minutes, until golden and cooked through; let cool slightly, then discard the chicken skin and shred the meat. 
4. Soak the sliced jalapeño slices in the buttermilk for an hour. 
5. Heat enough oil to fry the jalapeño slices in a saucepan. 
6. Place the flour in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper; dredge the slices, shaking off any excess. 
7. Fry the slices; drain on paper towels; set aside. 
8. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. 
9. Add the tomatillos, chopped jalapeño, garlic, and scallions. 
10. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the tomatillos are softened, about 15 minutes. 
11. Add the broth, and bring to a boil, then simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. 
12. Scrape the tomatillo mixture into a blender, and add the cilantro; puree until smooth. 
13. Return the sauce to the skillet, and add the shredded chicken. 
14. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring, until the chicken is heat through, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper. 
15. Serve the chicken with the tortillas, radishes, pico de gallo, and sour cream.

Chicken enchiladas

Anaheim peppers, seeded, chopped into large pieces	6
Boiling water
Ancho chili powder	2 tablespoons
Tomatoes, diced	14 ½ ounces
Onion, white, ½ coarsely chopped, thick slice	1 large
Garlic, crushed	7 cloves
Oregano, dried	1 teaspoon
Chicken stock	1 ½ cup
Chicken breast, boneless, skinless	2 pounds
Peppercorns	4
Salt
Canola oil	4 tablespoons
Corn tortillas	12
Monterey jack cheese, shredded	2 cups
Sour cream	½ cup
Onion, white, thinly sliced, separated into rings	1 small
Radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced	6

Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. 
2. Put the chilies in a pot, and add boiling water to cover.
3. Weight the chilies down with a plate, and let soak until soft, about 15 minutes; drain. 
4. In a blender or food processor, process the chilies, tomatoes with juice, onion, 6 garlic cloves, and oregano until smooth, adding up to ½ cup of stock as needed to achieve a very smooth consistency.
5. In a frying pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of oil.
6. Pour in 2 cups of the chili sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
   Store the remaining sauce, or add chopped cilantro with a pinch of salt and eat it as salsa.
7. Add the chicken stock, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until thick, about 5 minutes.
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Spoon a thin layer of the chili sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.

Chicken

1. Place chicken in a saucepan, and add enough water to cover. 
2. Place over medium-high heat until the water comes to a boil, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. 
3. Reduce the heat to low, and add the onion, peppercorns, and garlic. 
4. Cover and simmer gently until the meat is opaque throughout, about 20 minutes. 
5. Add the salt to taste during the last 5 minutes. 
6. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. 
7. When cool enough to handle, coarsely shred the chicken.

Enchiladas

1. In another frying pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil until hot. 
2. Using tongs, quickly drag the tortillas one at a time through the oil to soften them on both sides. 
3. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate; pat the tortillas dry with paper towels In a bowl, combine the chicken and cheese. 
4. Working with one tortilla at a time, spread a spoonful of the chicken-cheese mixture near the edge of the tortilla, roll it up, and place it seam side down in the prepared baking dish. 
5. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken-cheese mixtures, arranging the rolled tortillas side by side in the dish. 
6. Spoon over the remaining chili sauce. 
7. Bake the enchiladas until they are heated through and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. 
8. Top the enchiladas in the pan with dollops of sour cream, and onion and radish slices.