Chicken Mole Poblano Recipes

CHICKEN MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• For the mole: Tear the ancho, anaheim, and chipotle chiles into large pieces and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they change color a bit, about 2 minutes. Put them into a bowl with the raisins and cover them with hot water. Soak unti softened, about 30 minutes. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the almonds, sesame seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, oregano, and thyme. Toast for 2 minutes, grind in a spice grinder, and add the powder to a blender. In the same skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onions, garlic, and serrano. Cook until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 to 15 minutes, then add to the blender. Add the chocolate and the soaked chiles and raisins to the blender along with some of the chile soaking liquid. Puree, adding more soaking liquid as needed, to make a smooth sauce. (This makes about 4 cups sauce, the recipe uses 2 cups, the extra can be frozen).
• Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and season it well with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet and brown the chicken on all sides; remove the browned chicken to a plate leaving the oil in the pan. Pour 2 cups of the mole sauce into the hot skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and return the chicken pieces to the pan. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the onion and radish slices into a bowl. Add the lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Mix well and serve with the chicken.
• Serve over cooked white rice with the onion and radish salad. Garnish everything with cilantro leaves.

INSTANT CHICKEN MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• Combine rice, water, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered and undisturbed, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• While rice cooks, blend mole and broth in a blender until smooth, then bring to a boil in a 12-inch skillet, stirring occasionally. Add chicken, then reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, turning chicken once, until just cooked through, about 15 minutes total (sauce will thicken slightly).
• *Available at mexgrocer.com and some Latino markets.

CHICKEN IN MOLE, PUEBLA STYLE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, parboil the chicken in water seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Drain, reserving cooking broth, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the dish.
• Prepare the Mole Poblano. Clean the chiles by removing stems, veins, and seeds; reserve 1 tablespoon of the seeds. Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a heavy skillet until it shimmers. Fry the chiles until crisp, about 10 to 15 seconds, turning once; make sure they do not burn. Drain on paper towels. Put the chiles in a nonreactive bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving the soaking water. Puree the chiles in a blender with enough of the soaking water to make a smooth paste. It may be necessary to scrape down the sides and blend several times to obtain a smooth paste. In a heavy Dutch oven heat an additional 1/2 cup oil over medium heat and add the chile puree (be careful - it will splatter). Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Puree the tomatillos in a blender. In a coffee or spice grinder, grind the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, and toasted seeds. Add the seed mixture and the garlic to the pureed tomatillos and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy frying pan. Fry each of the following ingredients and then remove with a slotted spoon: the raisins until they puff up; the almonds to a golden brown; the pumpkin seeds until they pop. If necessary, add enough oil to make 4 tablespoons and fry the tortilla pieces and bread slices until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side; remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Add raisins, almonds, pumpkins seeds, tortillas, and bread to the tomatillo puree and blend, using 1 to 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, as needed, to make a smooth sauce. This may have to be done in batches. In a heavy Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the chile puree, the tomatillo puree, and the Mexican chocolate (be careful - it will splatter). Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 5 cups of chicken broth, cook over low heat for an additional 45 minutes, stirring often enough to prevent the mixture from scorching on the bottom. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add the parboiled chicken and heat through. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with white rice.

MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• Poach the chicken in 2 quarts water with the onion, garlic, and salt. When cooked through, transfer the chicken to a plate and reserve the cooking liquid. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve. Remove and reserve the meat from the bones, discarding the bones and skin.
• On a comal or in a cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat, dry-roast the chiles, flipping occasionally, until they start to blister and change color. Transfer the chiles to a bowl of hot water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain the chiles and reserve the water then transfer the chiles to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding the reserved water as needed. Push the purée through a small mesh sieve and set aside.
• On a comal or in a cast-iron skillet over moderate heat, dry-roast the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and garlic. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel the tomatoes and the garlic.
• In a small skillet, over moderately low heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the lard. Add the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, and anise seeds and toast until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
• Using the remaining 4 tablespoons of lard, fry the raisins until they plump and change color. Remove with a slotted spoon. Continue the frying process with the almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, tortillas, bread, and reserved chile seeds, adding more lard if needed.
• In a blender or food processor, purée the roasted vegetables, spices, and fried ingredients in small batches, adding water as needed, to form a smooth purée. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
• In a Dutch oven over moderate heat, heat the canola oil until hot but not smoking. Fry the chile purée, stirring constantly until it changes color, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved vegetable and spice mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the mole thickens, about 1 hour. Add about 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth and simmer for 30 minutes. The mole should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the chocolate and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and sugar, and add more chocolate if needed.
• To serve, ladle mole over the chicken until it is completely covered, then garnish with toasted sesame seeds.