Red Gorditas with Creamy Chipotle Chicken

Recipe by Pati Jinich

• Ingredients

  • 2 cups masa harina
  • 1 tablespoon ground dried colorado chile, or guajillo, New Mexico or Hatch chile 
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water, plus 2 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or vegetable shortening or lard
  • 1 batch Creamy Chipotle Chicken (recipe follows), or filling of your choice, warmed up
  • Shredded lettuce, to garnish
  • Ripe avocado slices, to garnish 
  • Crumbled queso fresco, to garnish

• Directions

  • In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina, ground chile and salt. Add the water and knead until completely incorporated and smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vegetable oil and knead until thoroughly combined. It should be as soft as playdough and hold its shape when rolled into a ball. Cover with a wet kitchen towel and let rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes to fully hydrate. 
    
    
  • Preheat a comal, cast iron, or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Line your tortilla press with a couple pieces of plastic cut into rounds (produce bags from the grocery store are perfect for this). Place a small bowl of water next to you. Divide the masa into 10 pieces, keeping it in the bowl and covered. One by one, roll each piece of masa into a ball of about 2¼ inches, using the water to moisten your hands as needed. 
    
    
  • Open the tortilla press, set a piece of plastic on the base, place a ball of mass on top in the center, and cover with the second piece of plastic. Gently press down, one or two times, until you get a very chubby tortilla of about ¼ to ⅓  inch thick and about 4 to 4¼ inches around. Alternatively, you may shape the gorditas with your hands. 
    
    
  • Transfer the gordita to the preheated comal and let it cook, without moving it, for about 5-6 minutes on the first side, until the bottom half seems cooked and has changed in color slightly and started to freckle. Flip and cook another 5-6 minutes, until the second side begins to freckle and brown. Flip again and cook another 2 minutes per side until they are ready, taking care not to burn the outside. You know they’ve cooked when they seem to want to puff if you press them with your fingers. 
    
    
  • Remove from the comal. Holding with a kitchen towel, if need be, run a small sharp knife through the gordita about ⅔ of the way, without cutting all the way through, to create a pocket. You may want to wet the knife to help slice through, as the masa may still be doughy in some areas. 
    
    
  • Wrap the gorditas in a clean kitchen towel, or place in a tortilla holder, as you move along to keep warm. Once ready, fill the gorditas with the Creamy Chipotle Chicken, or your preferred filling, and place back on the comal for a minute to completely heat through. Then garnish with shredded lettuce, avocado slices and crumbled queso fresco.

• Notes

  To make your own chile powder:

  Remove the stems and seeds from 2 ounces dried colorado, guajillo, New Mexico or Hatch chiles. On a preheated comal or skillet, set over medium heat, toast the chiles for about 1-2 minutes, flipping as they toast and brown, being careful not to let them burn.

  Remove from the heat once they are fragrant, browned and toasted, and their fumes have released. When cool enough to handle, process in a spice or coffee grinder, or small food processor, until finely ground.

  This will make ¼ cup or about 4 tablespoons.

• Chipotle Chicken Ingredients

  • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 white onion, halved, half left whole, half thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled 
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1¼ teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt, divided
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes
  • 3 to 4 La Costeña® chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons of the adobo sauce 
  • ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 cup Mexican crema, crème fraîche, or heavy cream
  • 1 batch Red Gorditas, if serving in gorditas 

• Chipotle Chicken Directions

  • Put the chicken breasts, whole onion half, garlic cloves, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. 
    
    
  • Add the tomatoes, cover again, and cook for 10 minutes more, until the tomatoes are completely cooked, mushy and the skins start to break apart. Remove the chicken breasts and transfer to a bowl. 
    
    
  • With a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes, garlic, onion, bay leaves and ½ cup of the cooking liquid (that the chicken cooked in) to a blender. Add the chipotle chiles and the adobo sauce, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and the pepper, and puree until smooth. Set aside. 
    
    
  • Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, finely shred with your hands or two forks. You should have about 5-6 cups.
    
    
  • Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet or casserole over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the sliced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the chicken and pureed tomato mixture, mix well, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, until it darkens and thickens. Reduce the heat to low and slowly stir in the cream. Once incorporated, increase heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will have thickened further. 
    
    
  • Remove from heat and serve as a filling for Red Gorditas, tacos, tortas, or eat as is with a side of rice, or beans, or both.