Relleno Negro de Fiesta con su "But"
(reh-YEH-noh NEH-groh deh fee-EHS-tah kohn soo BOOT)
Domingos and the American Píib: Slow-Roasted Centerpieces
The jar of store-bought recado negro is the quiet engine of this stew. It looks like motor oil and tastes of charred wood and bitter cocoa, anchoring Relleno Negro—an ink-black stew born of carbonized chiles and slow-simmered poultry. Home cooks have long relied on local markets for fresh paste to cut the labor to forty-five minutes, allowing us to swap the turkey for chicken thighs and roll the iconic 'but'—the stuffed pork—into weeknight-friendly meatballs. No liquid smoke, no cheap shortcuts. The carbonized chiles provide all the smoke you need, so heat a heavy Dutch oven and let the simmering broth do the heavy lifting. Finish with dark spice and a stack of warm tortillas to mop up the dark broth stains.
Before you start
Hard-boil the eggs ahead of time.
Boil 4 large eggs until hard, then cool them in an ice bath and peel them before starting the recipe so they are ready for the 'but'.
Ingredients
- bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks3 lb
- low-sodium chicken broth8 cup
- recado negro paste3 1/2 oz
- Roma tomatoes2 med
- white onion1 med
- garlic cloves4 med
- banana pepper1 med
- fresh epazote sprigs3 med
- all-purpose flour2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- ground pork1 lb
- ground beef1/2 lb
- eggs4 large
- egg1 large
- white onion1/2 med
- green bell pepper1/2 med
- Roma tomato1 med
- fresh epazote sprig1 med
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- corn tortillas12 med
- limes2 med
Method
- 01
Blister the aromatics on a dry comal or cast-iron skillet.
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat, then add the halved tomatoes, onion wedges, and unpeeled garlic, letting them blacken in spots for about 10 minutes before removing and peeling the cooled garlic.
- 02
Build the black broth by blending the recado negro.
In a heavy Dutch oven, cover the chicken, blistered vegetables, and peeled garlic with the broth and bring to a gentle boil, skimming any foam that rises. Ladle two cups of this hot broth into a blender, add all but one tablespoon of the recado negro paste, blend until smooth, and return the pitch-black liquid to the pot.
- 03
Infuse the stew with the pepper and epazote.
Drop the whole banana pepper and three epazote sprigs into the dark broth, reduce the heat, and simmer covered for 25 minutes.
- 04
Prepare the 'but' by separating the hard-boiled eggs.
Carefully split your cooked eggs, setting the whole yellow yolks aside and finely chopping the whites.
- 05
Mix the meatball base with the reserved spice paste.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, beef, diced raw onion, bell pepper, diced tomato, minced epazote, chopped egg whites, raw egg, the reserved tablespoon of recado negro, salt, and pepper, mixing thoroughly with your hands until unified.
- 06
Form the stuffed meatballs around the whole yolks.
Flatten a palm-sized portion of the meat mixture, place a whole cooked yolk in the center, and seal the meat completely around it, repeating until all yolks are used and rolling any leftover meat into smaller spheres.
- 07
Poach the meatballs directly in the simmering stew.
Gently drop the stuffed meatballs into the black broth without stirring vigorously so they don't break, cover, and let everything poach together for 20 minutes.
- 08
Thicken the broth to a velvety consistency.
During the final 5 minutes of cooking, stir the flour-water slurry to ensure no lumps remain, gently pour it into the bubbling broth, and simmer uncovered until the liquid transforms into a rich, silky soup.
- 09
Serve the fiesta with warm tortillas and fresh lime.
Ladle a piece of tender chicken, a large meatball, and a generous amount of dark broth into wide bowls, slicing the meatball in half to reveal the striking golden yolk inside.
Notes
Do not pierce the banana pepper while it simmers.
The whole pepper infuses the broth with a beautiful vegetal flavor; if it bursts, it will release its capsaicin directly into the soup and make the stew intensely spicy.
Make it ahead for a spectacular recalentado.
Like most Mexican stews, the complex spices bloom overnight in the fridge, making the reheated leftovers even thicker and more profound the next day.
Don't skip the epazote if you can help it.
It's the herbaceous backbone of the dish, but if you are truly stranded without it, a handful of fresh cilantro and a pinch of dried Mexican oregano will suffice in an emergency.