Ask Zarela about Pollo Borracho

Question:

I have been looking for a recipe I saw on TV years ago in the San Francisco area(PBS?). I think it is yours.
I would like to know where I could find your version of Pollo Borracho.

Answer:

The recipe you  saw was probably “mine”  because it was a favorite for 20 years until I decied to give it a reset  It has a nice story that comes with it:

This is arecipe from our neighbors, the Chavez family. They owned a still (“La Vinata”) that made sotol, the northern version of mezcal.. In fact, the only access to the still was through our ranch. When I was going through my time of troubles, Lupe would reply to my despair by making fresh orange juice and serving it to me with a large dose of sotol. (I also vividly remember how once when I must have been about fifteen, she put some dried corn kernels in a wet gunny sack and let them sprout. She then proceeded to ferment it somehow and made the most wonderful corn liquor. It was mild and sweet at first, but it got stronger by the day and we got sillier.)

Amelia Chavez, Nayo’s sister, devised this recipe using their sotol. But since it is completely unobtainable from anywhere but private stills like theirs, I substitute tequila. (Of course the alcohol boils off in cooking, leaving only the flavor.) The level of vinegar in this sweet-and-sour dish would not be considered excessive by many Mexicans, but it may be a bit much for some people here. Begin with a small amount and add more to taste. Amelia’s version also contained whole pickled serrano chiles, which produced a very picante dish.

See recipe at