Verdolagas Sauce Recipe, Something New to Cook

(Xhico en México)

Chicken with Salsa Verdolagas and Crispy Fried Potatoes

I was at the Tuesday Tianguis for my usual ritual of quesadillas. I always pick up some produce to cook. As I was leaving, a woman was waving a large handful of greens at me and shouting, "Joven, diez pesos!" The leafy green looked similar to watercress, but I was sure what it was. As usual curiosity got the best of me and I stopped to investigate this produce. It turns out it was "verdolagas" which translates to English as "purslane". I had heard of it, but never heard of eating it. This annual succulent is actually one of the most nutritious greens on the planet with high levels of omega-3's and vitamins.

Verdolagas (Purslane) and Garlic

It sounded great, but I had no idea how to prepare it. The woman rattled off several recipe suggestions to me, but the one that resonated with me with the idea of making it into a sauce to accompany chicken. Chicken was already on my menu for the night, so it seemed like the perfect plan. And it was.

I prepared Chicken in Salsa Verdolagas topped with Queso Blanco served with Crispy Fried Potatoes and Spring Onions. Here's how I made it:

Recipe: 

CHICKEN IN SALSA VERDOLAGAS

INGREDIENTS:

2 Chicken Breasts (pounded flat)

1 Bunch of Verdolagas (Purslane)

1 White Onion

4-5 Cloves Garlic

1 Small Serrano or Jalapeño (Optional if you like it Spicy)

1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock

Juice of 1 Small Lime

Salt to Taste

2-3 tbsp Oil for Cooking

METHOD:

1. Prepare your ingredients. Slice onion, crush garlic cloves whole with side of chef's knife, chop verdolagas into 1-2 inch pieces.

2. Sautee onions and garlic with a little oil on low-medium heat until the start to caramelize. Remove and set aside once caramelized. I use a deep stock pot so that I can use the same pot to cook the verdolagas.

3. Add verdolagas to the hot pot. You may need a splash of oil. Not much though. Let the verdolagas wilt down until the start to become tender. Don't overcook them and let them get too dark.

4. Add all ingredients to blender and blend a couple minutes until smooth. If you are added a chile for spiciness, chop it and add it into blender with rest of ingredients. Return salsa to a small sauce pan and cover or put on low heat to keep warm.

5. Meanwhile, those chicken breasts... I buy them here in Mexico already pounded flat and thin -"aplanado" or "para milanesa". Warm up your skillet to medium heat. After it is evenly hot, add 1 tbsp of cooking oil to the skillet. Let it get hot. Gently add your chicken breast as not to splash yourself with the hot oil. Let each side cook until light golden brown. These are flast so the cook pretty quick, just about 3-4 min on each side.

6. Served chicken with sauce poured over and topped with queso blanco.

Provecho!