Monday, February 23, 2009

Chicken Mole



Chicken legs were on sale several weeks ago. I decided to use them in a series of recipes I was preparing for a group of frugal housewives. I was really pleased with the results. The first recipe takes us south of the border for a mild, but very pleasant chicken mole. The sauce(mole) uses a standard chili powder but any dried, ground chili may be substituted if you'd like more heat. To keep costs low, I've substituted cocoa powder for the dark chocolate typically used in this dish. This is really easy to do.

Chicken Mole

Ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dusting
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 cup water
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5-oz.) can tomatoe puree
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Garnish:
2 tablespoons toasted almond slices
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Directions:

1) Remove and discard chicken skin. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dust with flour.
2) Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove to a platter.
3) Add onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, cocoa, salt and pepper to pan. Stir to combine. Add water and cook until onion softens, about 5 minuutes.
4) Stir in tomatoes, tomato puree and chicken broth. Bring sauce to a boil. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover and cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Sprinkle with almonds and chopped parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

7 comments :

Unknown said...

this is the 2nd time i've heard about cocoa being added to a chicken dish... now i am really, really intrigued... :)

Allie said...

Your sauce looks perfect!

Lisa said...

This looks delicious! I think I might try it with chicken thighs, my favorite. This does sound like a simple mole, a recipe that doesn't involve a whole education in Mexican cuisine. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Ihave never made a mole sauce before, but i find it really intriguing. This sounds reaaaaaly good.

Anonymous said...

It looks so amazingly easy indeed! I was gathering up my strength to produce a mole soon, but too many ingredients, etc, etc - your recipe really couldn't come at a better time! I'll let you know if I can finally give myself the necessary kick in the backside :-)

Pauline said...

That is just an enticing-looking Mexican tomato gravy. Man! I GOT to make this! Definitely making it the minute I retrieve my unsweetened cocoa powder from home. Orr....I could try using dark chocolate cocoa mix...? But that probably would be a disaster, ha. Looks great, probably tastes godly.

Soumya..... said...

Just happened to drop in your blog, these dishes looks too tempting!

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