The Chef: Cristina Martinez Illustration: Michael Hoeweler Her Restaurants: South Philly Barbacoa, Casa México and the People’s Kitchen, all in Philadelphia What She’s Known For: Authentic Mexican cooking that’s earned a fervent following in Philadelphia and beyond. Flavorful, expertly crafted dishes that take no shortcuts. QUICK-COOKING and deeply flavorful, […]
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The Chef: Cristina Martinez
Her Restaurants: South Philly Barbacoa, Casa México and the People’s Kitchen, all in Philadelphia
What She’s Known For: Authentic Mexican cooking that’s earned a fervent following in Philadelphia and beyond. Flavorful, expertly crafted dishes that take no shortcuts.
QUICK-COOKING and deeply flavorful, this recipe for chicken legs cooked with an escabeche of lightly pickled carrots and jalapeños is a go-to for chef Cristina Martinez. The owner of three Philadelphia restaurants, she has limited time to cook at home. “If you have a Mexican pantry, there’s always cumin and jarred jalapeños,” she said. “So, all you need is chicken and some common vegetables for a very good dinner.”
The second Slow Food Fast recipe from Ms. Martinez builds flavor at every step. Poaching the chicken legs along with a quartered onion produces a meaty broth. Meanwhile, carrots, onions and pickled jalapeños sauté along with just enough of the brine from the jalapeños’ jar to provide a balanced acidity. Then the partially cooked chicken finishes in the same pan with the vegetable escabeche and some of the chicken’s broth.
Once the chicken legs are in the pan with the vegetables, you’ll see them plump and cook through. All that’s left to do is adjust the seasoning to your taste by brightening it with another splash or two of the jalapeños’ brine or adding a ladleful of broth to round out the flavor. ”You don’t want this too acidic,” Ms. Martinez advised. “You should taste the chicken and the sweet carrots.”
—Kitty Greenwald is a chef, food writer and the co-author of ‘Slow Fires’ (Clarkson Potter)
To explore and search through all our recipes, check out the WSJ Recipes page.
Chicken Legs in Carrot-Jalapeño Escabeche
This quick, comforting dish of chicken legs cooked with an escabeche of lightly pickled carrots and jalapeños is a go-to for chef Cristina Martinez when she's cooking at home.
Total Time: 35 minutes
serves: 4
JENNY HUANG FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FOOD STYLING BY TYNA HOANG, PROP STYLING BY BETH PAKRADOONI
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken legs with thighs attached
- 1 large, yellow onion, quartered
- Kosher salt
- 2½ tablespoons olive oil
- 6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons sliced pickled jalapeños plus a few tablespoons brine from jar
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- 4 whole bay leaves
- Fresh cilantro, to garnish
- Cooked rice and/or tortillas, for serving
Directions
- Place chicken legs in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add quartered onion and a generous pinch of salt. Set pot over medium-high heat and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until legs are half cooked and liquid is aromatic, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add carrots and sliced onions, and sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeños, reserving brine. Stir in garlic, cumin, bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Add splashes of brine (about 2 tablespoons) until vegetables pick up its flavor without being overwhelmed.
- Use tongs to transfer half-cooked chicken legs to pan with vegetables. Pour in enough poaching liquid so legs are three-quarters submerged. Continue simmering until legs cook through and vegetables are fully tender, 10-15 minutes more. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and/or splashes of broth or pickling liquid.
- Serve chicken, vegetables and sauce with rice and/or tortillas. Garnish with cilantro.
—Adapted from Cristina Martinez
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