Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Can you post the exact recipe? That looks amazing. Thanks!
Thank you for the praise. However, typing it all up would be quite an effort, particularly at this busy time of year. It's a recipe that I've modified over the past 20 yrs now and much of it isn't written down. In total, it takes about 4-1/2hrs of cooking, not including the prep and shredding the chicken.
I frequently taste, then add ingredients as I go. I use far more spice & herbs than most recipes because I enjoy big, bold, deep, rich flavors. I learned to cook like this decades ago now because I was quite frustrated with most recipes where they acted like they were "afraid" of herbs, spices and HEAT. A 1/4tsp of this and that. That just won't cut it with me....
The main thing is to experiment and not settle for weak, watered down stocks, soups or flavor.
One key tip is to fry a sauce first to concentrate the flavors. Dried chilis are rehydrated in hot water, then blended with tomato paste & spices, then fried in a skillet. Why? It builds more complex & rich flavors. It will transition from a bright red to a brick red. But you have to carefully watch it & stir it or it'll quickly scorch! Once burnt, you have to start over...
Cajun style also uses this technique when building a roux: The darker it is, the richer it tastes.
Instead of just adding raw carrots, celery, etc. to a pot, saute it first (especially with those two due to the high water content). Spices are all added at this stage to "bloom" them, concentrating their flavors, instead of simply dumping them into a gallon of stock and hoping for great flavor.
Look up: Coyote Cafe, Hudson's On The Bend, Rick Bayless, Sante Fe Hot & Spicy cookbook and Cook's Illustrated. (Note the later is far too mild for me in most cases, but they do go into flavor development, building fond, and blooming spices which is good, as well as good technique. Plus you can always up the spices to suit your own level.)
Cooking like this takes more time, and requires more attention on your part, but the results are really worth it and leave you & your family, friends and guests with lasting memories. And that's what it's all about!