Spicy Chicken Mole
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon (mild) chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1–2 whole chipotle chiles, to taste, from a can of chipotles en adobo, plus 1–2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (or 1 cup canned diced tomatoes and 1 tablespoon canned diced green chiles)
- ¼ cup raisins
- 2–3 cups chicken broth
- 1 whole chicken (about 3½ pounds), cut into pieces, or 6 thighs
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions:
Mexican mole sauces are complex mixtures of ground spices and nuts, often with deep, dark chocolate. Making the real deal can take literally days of laborious toasting, chopping, and grinding. This immensely simplified version may be more involved than many of our other recipes, but we’re pretty sure the adoration it will earn you from your guests is well worth the effort.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes, until flour is incorporated and just beginning to brown. Add coriander, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt. Give the spices a stir and add the chipotle chile(s) with adobo sauce, chocolate, peanut butter, tomatoes, raisins, and 2 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
- While sauce is simmering, trim any excess fatty skin off the chicken, if needed. Place chicken in a single layer in a large baking dish, coat with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- When sauce has been simmering about 45 minutes, purée using an immersion blender (or in batches in a countertop blender or food processor), until smooth. The sauce should be about the consistency of thick tomato sauce. If it’s too thick, add a bit more broth as needed.
- When chicken has roasted for 30 minutes and the sauce has been puréed, remove chicken from oven and pour sauce over the chicken pieces.
- Chicken pieces should be coated with sauce and the sauce should come about halfway up the chicken pieces. Reserve any remaining sauce for serving. Return the chicken to the oven and roast 15 minutes more, until sauce is bubbly and chicken is fully cooked. Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving platter or individual serving plates,  drizzle the sauce over the top, scatter cilantro over, and serve.
- Make it ahead
- The sauce can be made a few days ahead and kept, covered, in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature or heat it gently on the stove before pouring it over the hot chicken. Leftover Spicy Chicken Mole can be made into mouthwatering enchiladas: shred the meat for the filling, roll up in corn tortillas, smother with mole sauce, top with grated cheese, and bake in a 350ºF oven until hot and bubbly.