Mama Rosas Marvelous Chicken In Mole Food

EASY CHICKEN MOLE

Steps:

• To make the mole sauce, soak the chiles in 1 1/4 cups water for 15 minutes. Drain well and discard the soaking liquid.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent, 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender with the chiles, chocolate, chicken broth, peanut butter, sugar, oregano and tostadas and blend until very smooth. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper. Add the rotisserie chicken pieces and stir to combine.

EASY CHICKEN MOLE

Steps:

• To cook the chicken, combine the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves in a large heavy pot. Add 12 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl, and let it cool. Cut the chicken into 6 pieces and set aside in the refrigerator.
• Strain the cooking liquid into a large saucepan (discard the vegetables) and boil over high heat until reduced to 3 cups, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat.
• To make the mole sauce, measure out and rewarm (if necessary) 1 1/4 cups of the reduced cooking liquid. Soak the chiles in the liquid for 15 minutes. Drain well, and discard the chile-soaking liquid.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Transfer the mixture to a blender and add the chiles, 1 1/2 cups reduced cooking liquid, and the peanut butter, tostadas, sugar, and oregano. Blend until very smooth. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Stir the chocolate into the mole, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cooked chicken pieces and stir until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Ibarra Chocolate
• Flavored with cinnamon, almonds, and vanilla, Ibarra chocolate is available in Mexican markets and some supermarkets. Mexican chocolate has a much grainier texture than other chocolates. It's used in the preparation of a Mexican hot chocolate drink and certain specialties such as Ancho-Chocolate Braised Short Ribs (page 128). One ounce of semisweet chocolate, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 drop almond extract can be substituted for 1 ounce Mexican chocolate.

CHICKEN MOLE WITH CORIANDER RICE

Steps:

• Put the chillies in a bowl and add enough boiling water to just cover. Leave to soften for 20 mins. If you can't find anchos, grill red peppers until they're really blackened and soft. Cool them, then peel and use as needed in the recipe, adding 1 tsp smoked paprika and a little extra chipotle to re-create the sweet, smoky flavour.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish, season the chicken, then brown on all sides. You may have to do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the dish. Remove to a plate. Add the onions to the dish and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the spices and cook for 1 min until aromatic.
• Remove the chillies from their soaking liquid, reserving the liquid, and discard the stalks and seeds. Put in a food processor with 4 tbsp of the soaking liquid, the garlic and raisins. Whizz to a paste, then tip into the dish. Add the peanut butter, chipotle paste, tomatoes and 400ml water (fill up the tomato can and swirl to get all the tomato bits out). Return the chicken to the dish and season. Cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hr.
• Remove the chicken pieces to a plate. Using 2 forks, shred the meat and discard the bones. Return the chicken to the sauce, add the chocolate and continue cooking, uncovered, for 30 mins more. If the sauce looks like it's getting a little too thick, add some of the chilli soaking liquid or some water.
• Cook the rice following pack instructions. Meanwhile, put the red onion in a small bowl. Add the lime juice and a pinch of salt. Leave to pickle until ready to serve. When the rice is cooked, add the coriander and lime zest and juice, and fluff up with a fork. Remove the mole from the heat, scatter with the pickled red onion and serve alongside the rice, with soured cream and lime wedges, if you like.

MAMA ROSA'S MARVELOUS CHICKEN IN MOLE

Steps:

• NOTE: Mexican chocolate is very unlike American forms of chocolate, looking like baking chocolate but sweetened, grainy and brittle. It is used to make hot chocolate. If you can't find it, substitute 2 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate.
• NOTE: Mama Rosa always used chicken parts with skin and bones which no doubt added flavor to the sauce. However, we prefer boneless and skinless chicken breasts that really soak up the sauce.
• Toast the first six ingredients in a dry skillet until just browned/smokey.
• In a large shallow fry pan, fry the poblano and negro chiles in just enough oil to coat the pan until the chiles are pliant and the skins begin to blister.
• Remove the pan from the heat and allow the pan to cool until it is safe to add liquid (trust me, if it's too hot it's a burn hazard!), then add just enough chicken broth to cover.
• Soak the chiles until they are soft, keeping the broth hot but not boiling. This doesn't require constant heat, just occasional to keep the temperature up. They will soften just as well in cold broth, it just takes a lot longer.
• Chop the next four ingredients (tomato, tomatillos, onion and garlic) and saute in a small amount of oil over medium heat until cooked through but not browned.
• While the vegetables are cooking, put the soaked chiles in a blender, adding just enough of the soaking broth to process and blend until smooth.
• Add the tomato mixture and toasted seeds, adding just enough broth to process and blend until smooth.
• Add chocolate, adding just enough broth to process and blend until smooth.
• Strain the mixture and set aside.
• Coat the bottom of a fry pan with oil and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on both sides.
• Lower the heat and add enough of the mole to cover the chicken only about half way. Cover the pan and cook, turning the chicken occasionally, until cooked through.
• Serve with rice pilaf, such as recipe #395219 - Oft Requested Rice Pilaf.