Pulled Chicken Chilaquiles — A Big Batch of Green Chile and What It's For

February. The month of Valentine's Day, which for my family means the month of my birthday. I was born on February 14th, which my mother has always considered a sign and which I consider a coincidence that has made it slightly impossible to have a birthday that is entirely mine. Every year since I can remember, my birthday exists in relation to Valentine's Day rather than independent of it. I've made peace with this in the way you make peace with things you can't change, which is mostly by finding it funnier than frustrating.

I turn thirty-nine in two weeks. I've been thirty-eight for a year now and the number has stopped feeling strange. Thirty-nine will feel strange for a month and then stop. This is how years work. I've been grayer than I expected at thirty-eight — the hair at my temples started going early and it's continued — and my knees still click on cold mornings and my shoulder still does the thing it does, and I feel perfectly fine about all of it. You're this body and this body gets older. The choice is whether the getting older is doing something or not. It's doing something. That's the goal.

Made a big batch of green chile sauce this week — straight-up New Mexico green chile sauce, made with roasted Hatch green chiles (from the Las Cruces freezer supply, still going strong), garlic, onion, cumin, chicken stock, and a small amount of cream at the end to take the edge off. Poured it over scrambled eggs on Saturday morning. Over grilled chicken on Monday. Over rice on Tuesday. I use green chile sauce the way some people use ketchup, which is to say as the default condiment for any protein, any grain, any situation that calls for improvement. Lisa calls it an obsession. I call it a philosophy. The distinction matters to me.

Ruben would have been thirty-three this month. He was born in October. I'm going to call Marisol around his birthday. I've been doing that since he died. I'll keep doing it.

The green chile sauce I made this week is the reason this recipe exists on this site. I had a full pot of it, I had leftover chicken, and chilaquiles is the answer that makes the most sense when both of those things are true at the same time—chips going soft in chile sauce, a fried egg on top if you want it, cotija crumbled over everything. It’s not a complicated dish. That’s the point. Some weeks call for something that works without asking much of you in return.

Pulled Chicken Chilaquiles with New Mexico Green Chile Sauce

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted Hatch green chiles, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped (fresh-roasted or frozen and thawed)
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (such as avocado or canola), divided
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works well)
• 6 cups tortilla chips (about 6 oz), preferably a sturdy variety
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Optional toppings: fried eggs, crumbled cotija cheese, sour cream, sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, diced avocado

Instructions

1. Build the sauce base. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, deep skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
2. Simmer the green chile. Add the chopped green chiles and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 12—15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced slightly and the flavors have come together. Taste and add salt as needed.
3. Finish with cream. Stir in the heavy cream and let the sauce cook another 2 minutes. The cream rounds out the heat without dulling it. Remove from heat briefly to adjust seasoning.
4. Add the chicken. Return the pan to medium-low heat. Stir in the shredded chicken and fold it into the sauce until evenly coated. Cook until the chicken is warmed through, about 3 minutes.
5. Fold in the chips. Add the tortilla chips all at once and fold gently with a spatula, turning to coat without breaking the chips into crumbs. Let the pan sit undisturbed for 60—90 seconds so the chips absorb the sauce and soften at the edges while keeping some texture in the center. Do not overcook—you want the chips yielding but not mushy.
6. Plate and top. Divide immediately among four bowls or plates. Add toppings as you like: a fried egg laid over the top, cotija crumbled across, a spoon of sour cream, a few radish slices, cilantro, avocado. Serve right away.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 475 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 23g | Carbs: 39g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 610mg