Chicken Mole Verde

Name: Chicken Mole Verde
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 3 bone-in chicken breasts and 3 leg-thigh quarters; 1 white onion, thickly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, smashed; 2 tablespoons kosher salt; 1/4 cup sesame seeds; 3 tablespoons hulled pumpkin seeds; 1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed; 3 tablespoons raw peanuts; Pinch of ground ginger; Pinch of ground allspice; Pinch of ground cloves; 1/2 ripe plantain (from a plantain cut crosswise), peeled and halved lengthwise (see Note); 2 whole serrano chiles, stemmed; 1 large poblano chile, quartered and seeded; 1/2 white onion, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, peeled; 2 pounds tomatillos, husked; 1 corn tortilla; 1/2 small head butter lettuce, or 1 romaine heart, coarsely chopped; 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish; 1 small or 1/2 large avocado, pitted and peeled; 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

December 22, 2011

Brian mastered mole verde under the tutelage of Brenda Godinez, a Cakebread staffer who creates exquisite flower arrangements for the winery. Brenda taught Brian that a proper mole requires many steps: almost every ingredient needs to be fried or toasted first to deepen its flavor. The mole verde, or green mole, relies on fresh chiles, tomatillos, and cilantro for its emerald color. When well made, the mole is velvety smooth. This recipe features chicken, but we sometimes use duck legs or pork. Truly, the spotlight is on the sauce. Serve with rice and a salad. Note that this recipe makes twice as much mole (the sauce, not the chicken) as you need to serve six people. But why make mole in small amounts? It freezes well, giving you a running start on the next dinner.

Cooks' Note

A ripe plantain has a golden or even black exterior; unripe plantains are greenish outside.

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