Chicken with Mole Sauce

Name: Chicken with Mole Sauce
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons lard or extra virgin olive oil; 1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken or turkey parts, trimmed of excess fat; Salt and black pepper to taste; 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped; 1 cup chopped tomatoes with their juice; 1 bay leaf; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried; 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground; 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 160), or water; 1 dried chipotle chile, or to taste; 1 dried pasilla or ancho chile; 1/2 cup pepitas (hulled green pumpkin seeds); 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate

December 14, 2011

Real mole takes many forms, often using dozens of ingredients and taking days to make. This is an extremely simplified version of a dark, rich one that, not atypically, includes a bit of chocolate, for both flavor and color, a practice that does not, as some people believe, make the mixture sweet or even chocolaty. In fact, the presence of the chocolate should go undetected. You can substitute dark-meat turkey for the chicken; cut the legs into pieces and increase the cooking time by about 50 percent or until the turkey is quite tender. For a simpler, more straightforward flavor, try the chile sauce variation. Serve with plain rice here, or Yellow Rice (page 518) or Arroz a la Mexicana (page 517), and a simple salad.

Recipe notes

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