I recently took a trip to San Diego for a bit of warmer weather & to see my college daughter. Even though we arrived at midday, we took a trip to our favorite breakfast place, Mission Valley Breakfast Company, hoping that breakfast would still be available. Luckily for us, it was! My favorite dish there is their Shrimp Enmoladas…which I hope to recreate in my own kitchen at some point. The key to a tasty enmoladas is – of course – the mole sauce! And I do love me a good mole sauce! So, as an intro into my mole experimentation, here’s a tasty recipe for Chicken Mole Poblano. Give a try & let me know what you think!
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 3 oz (6 to 8) dried ancho chiles
- 3-1/2 c chicken broth
- 1/2 c raisins
- 1 onion, cut into 1″ pieces
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 2 T tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 T minced canned chipotle in adobo sauce
- 3/4 c almonds, sliced
- 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1″ pieces
- 3 T sesame seeds
- 2 t salt
- 1-2 t cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1/2 t dried thyme
- 1/2 t ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t ground cumin
- 1/2 t ground coriander
- 1/2 t pepper
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped coarse
- 4 lb bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks and/or thighs), trimmed
Adjust oven rack to middle position & heat oven to 325 deg. Place anchos on rimmed baking sheet & toast until fragrant & pliable, about 05 min. Transfer to med bowl & let cool for 05 min. Remove seeds, stems & ribs from anchos & discard. Tear flesh into 1/2″ pieces & return pieces to bowl.
Add 2 c broth & raisins to bowl with anchos. Cover & microwave until steaming, about 02 min. Let stand until softened, about 05 min. Drain mixture in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, reserving liquid.
Process onion, 2 T oil, tomato paste, garlic, chipotle & ancho-raisin mixture in food processor until smooth, about 05 min, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add almonds, bread, 2 T sesame seeds, salt, cayenne, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, pepper & 1/4 c reserved ancho soaking liquid & continue to process until smooth paste forms, about 03 min. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed & add additional soaking liquid if necessary.
Heat remaining 2 T oil in deep oven-safe pot over med-high heat until shimmering. Add mole paste & cook, stirring frequently, until steaming, about 03 min. Stir in chocolate until incorporated. Transfer pot to oven & cook, uncovered, for 30 min, stirring twice. (Paste will darken during cooking.)
Place pot over med-high heat & whisk remaining reserved soaking liquid & remaining 1-1/2c broth into mole paste until smooth. Place chicken in even layer in pot, reduce heat to low, cover & cook until breasts register 150 deg & drumsticks/thighs register 175 deg, 25-30 min. Stir halfway through cooking.
Transfer chicken pieces to serving dish as they come up to temp. Pour sauce over chicken, garnish with remaining 1 T sesame seeds & serve with white rice and/or corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.