-6 ounces guajillo peppers
-5 pounds chicken breasts
-3 pounds poblano chiles
-24 brown rice tortillas
-3 cups caramelized onions
-3 cups roasted red pepper strips
-3 cups diced tomatoes
-1-1/2 pounds California cotija cheese, crumbled
-½ cup chopped chives
To make the guajillo puree, pour boiling water over chiles. Let sit until soft, about 30 minutes. Remove chiles from water. Discard stems and seeds; process in blender, using soaking liquid as necessary to make puree.
To make chicken breasts, place chicken in large bowl. Toss with enough puree to coat breasts evenly. Cover and chill for 24 hours. Cover and save remaining puree to use in pizza assembly. When ready to cook chicken, preheat convection oven to 400F. Preheat grill on high. Grill chicken for 1 minute on each side. Transfer to sheet pan and roast until internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove and cool. Shred cooled chicken by hand and add guajillo puree to coat evenly, about 3 cups. Chill and hold at 40F or below until service.
To roast the poblano peppers, preheat convection oven to 425F. Place poblanos peppers on sheet pan. Spray lightly with oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature. Remove stems, skin and seeds. Cut into ¼ inch julienne. Hold at 40F until service.
To par-bake tortillas, place tortillas on baking sheet in single layer and bake at 400F in convection oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.
For each serving, preheat pizza oven to 650F. Place one tortilla on a sheet pan. Spread lightly with 2 tablespoons guajillo puree over entire surface. Top with ½ cup guajillo chicken. Top with ¼ cup poblano pepper strips. Top with 2 tablespoons caramelized onions. Top with 2 tablespoons roasted red peppers, then 2 tablespoons diced tomatoes and finally with 3 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese. Place pizza in oven for 2-3 minutes until heated through and cheese is lightly browned. Garnish with 1 teaspoon chopped chives.
Recipe Courtesy of Chef Jeff Viviano (Bruin Plate Restaurant, UCLA)
