Molletes

Molletes are basically open-faced sandwiches using bolillo cut in half.  This morning I made some using eggs baked in a creamy tomatillo sauce, black beans and chicken thighs.

To start, I fried chicken thighs in a shallow pan with a bit of olive oil.  While this cooked a placed another pan to press down the chicken thighs, and allowed to cook for several minutes.  The result is a a consistent golden crush on the chicken which results in stronger flavor. 

For the base, I sliced bolillos in half and spread each side with refried black beans.  I topped each with some of my chicken thigh meat and baked at 400 for about 15 minutes just to get the bread warm and toasty.

To make the sauce, I removed the chicken from the pan and added sliced tomatillo, chopped chile serrano, and garlic.  I tossed the vegetables in the olive oil and chicken fat in the pan.  I scrapped off all the good stuff off the pan as the vegetables began to release their water and then covered and let steam on low for about 10 minutes.  This is the result:

From here, I transferred the contents of the pan to a large mason jar to blend with cilantro, lime juice, cumin, bay leaves and Mexican oregano.

I poured the salsa back into the pan and added crema mexicana, I wanted to add that richness to the eggs as they baked in the oven. I cracked the eggs into the pan and then spooned as much of the sauce over the eggs to prepare them for the oven.

I baked these eggs in an oven at 300 for about 20 minutes, though I kept an eye on them to make sure the yolks didn't overcook.

To finish the dish, I spooned the egg and sauce over the bolillo, black beans and, chicken thigh meat.

The egg white came out very tender and silky, I really enjoyed the texture as it mixed in with the tomatillo sauce which had a good kick and acidity.  The yolks were somewhat overcooked but maintained a custardy texture rather than getting completely hard which I was pleased with.  The bolillo at the bottom soaked in a combination of all the flavors and was the perfect tool for sopping up the egg and sauce.