Chicken Recuerdos de Tucson

This recipe is part of Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.” I remember reading Barbara Kingsolver’s books in AP English. She was Mrs. Philips’ favorite author. This book chronicles the year that Kingsolver and her family decided to move away from Tucson, to a small farm, and ate only the food they grew. The book is pretty long and it is all about food! Barbara Kingsolver describes her book as, “part memoir, part journalistic investigation.”

Barbara Kingsolver’s daughter developed (or at least wrote down) the recipes in the book. I decided to make a dish called “Chicken Recuerdos de Tucson.” I’m not sure what it means but if I had to guess it probably means something along the lines of Memories of Tucson Chicken. The dish does have many southwest influences. The family was probably trying to recreate the dishes they were used to eating in Tucson while they lived on the small farm in Virginia's Applachian mountains.

The dish is very delicious even though I did not make it with the food I raised or grew on my own. The only ingredient from my garden was the basil. This recipe makes a large pot (about 4 quarts). I wanted to try this recipe for a while now but have always put it on hold because the bf has an aversion to zucchini and squash.

So when I was trying to decide on a dish to make for some friends who just had a baby. I decided this was a great dish to make. I kept a small container for myself and packed the rest of for my friends. Below is a link to the recipe (and the other recipes in the book) but of course I diverted from it a bit.

Chicken Recuerdos de Tucson: http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/Recipes.html


I'm just outlining the steps in the recipe (the way I did it). You'll have to go to Barbara Kingsolver's website (or book) for the actual recipe. I didn't completely follow the recipe but I think the recipe is pretty forgiving and you can use what is in season or what you have on hand.

1. Brown chicken in batches. (I used 3.5 pounds of chicken thighs because I feel they do better than breasts in a dish like this one. The recipe said to use a whole chicken, thighs, or drumsticks.) Remove chicken and set aside. I didn't add olive oil because there was enough fat left in the pot. Add the onions and garlic and saute. (Okay I forgot to take a picture.)

2. Add the tomatoes, spices and the broth (or water). Return the chicken to the pot and bring to a low simmer. Cover with a lid and let simmer about 20 minutes or so until chicken is almost cooked through.


3. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover and simmer until chicken and veggies are cooked. I seasoned with salt and pepper even though the recipe didn't list salt or pepper. I also skimmed a lot of the fat out because I used skin-on chicken thighs.

Ingredient Note: The recipe lists green chiles. I used one roasted and diced poblano. The recipe also list one red or green bell peppers. I think I the next time I make this I will omit the bell peppers and used more roasted green chiles or poblanos instead.