Chicken Vermicelli or Fideo con Pollo as we say in South Texas
Funny name for a one skillet no-fuss family dinner. Fideo is a Tex-Mex dish that was frequently prepared in my home when I was growing up. We ate this each week alternating the vermicelli pasta with alphabet shaped pasta. Seriously! I can already hear my cousins laughing as they read this. This was a staple at my grandmothers home where she prepared fideo without chicken and served it as a side dish. Numerous family members would arrive at her home, during their lunch hour, to enjoy her large family style meals five days per week. It was always the best meal in town. I find it interesting that this iconic dish is rarely found on restaurant menus. When my friends request it they'll often ask for "that Mexican spaghetti dish". I'll always remember two important tips that my grandmother emphasized to prevent mushy fideo: thoroughly brown your fideo when sauteeing, and after reducing to a simmer never stir the dish.
Fideo con Pollo Chicken Vermicelli
Yvette Zuniga Jemison
YDelicacies.com
Recipe from My South Texas Kitchen cookbook
Servings: 6-8
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Knorr Chicken Bouillon
1 ½ -2 pounds boneless skinless
Chicken thighs, cut in half or bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7-ounce package fideo pasta (Mexican vermicelli)
½ cup white onion, diced
¼ of a bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
½ cup tomato sauce
½ cup frozen peas
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning chicken
½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for seasoning chicken
1. In a large mixing cup, stir the hot water and chicken bouillon until dissolved; set the broth aside.
2. Lightly season the chicken on both sides with the salt and pepper.
3. In a wide skillet on a medium heat warm the oil. Add the seasoned chicken and cook until browned on both sides and cooked throughout, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and leave the drippings and oil in the skillet.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the fideo pasta and stir to coat. Stirring frequently, cook the pasta until browned, 1-3 minutes.
5. Working quickly add the onions, bell pepper and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add the broth, tomato sauce, peas, cilantro, cumin, browned chicken, in a single layer, into the broth.
7. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a gentle simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat, cover the skillet and let sit until the fideo pasta absorbs the last bit of liquid and becomes plump, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
