Mama Rosas Marvelous Chicken In Mole Recipes

'EASIEST EVER' CHICKEN MOLE ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a baking sheet, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool, then shred into small bite-sized pieces.
• For the mole: Reconstitute the dried chiles by soaking them in 1 1/2 cups hot water for 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside. Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet until dry, crisp and golden. Tear into pieces and set aside. In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a blender with the chiles, tortillas, peanut butter and oregano. Pour the chicken stock over and blend until very smooth. Then transfer the sauce to a medium saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. Season the mole with salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup of mole for garnishing the enchiladas, the rest will be used for dipping the tortillas.
• To assemble the enchiladas: Fill a medium saute pan half way with oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, dip 1 tortilla at a time and fry just until soft and heated through, a few seconds. Lift out, let the excess oil drip off and then dip the fried tortilla directly into the warm mole (which should be right next to the pan for easy dipping) and transfer to a plate. Working quickly, put 1/3 cup of the shredded chicken in the center, being careful not to over fill. Roll the tortilla like a cigar to enclose the filling and place in a serving dish seam- side down. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and place them side-by- side. Pour the reserved mole over the top. (This recipe can be tightly wrapped and frozen for 3 weeks at this stage. To reheat: Preheat oven to 350degrees F, unwrap and bake until sauce is bubbly and enchiladas are heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.) To serve, drizzle with a little sour cream and sprinkle with queso.

CHICKEN MOLE

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken pieces in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in the bay leaf, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, cloves, and cinnamon until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar, and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, stir in the chocolate chips until melted, then return the chicken pieces to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and no longer pink at the bone, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the raisins, and cook 3 minutes longer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

GRILLED CHICKEN MOLE NEGRO

Steps:

• For the mole negro: In a large saute pan over medium heat, toast the ancho and guajillo chiles on both sides until softened and fragrant, being careful not to scorch them, 20 to 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of hot water to the pan, just enough to cover the chiles, and set aside for 30 minutes to reconstitute. Add the chiles and soaking water to a blender. Then add the onions, almonds, raisins, piloncillo, sesame seeds, cinnamon, oregano, garlic, cloves and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Puree until very smooth, adding a little more chicken broth if too thick.
• In a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the lard and the mole puree and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture becomes glossy, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups chicken broth and the chocolate. Boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until thick, about 15 minutes. Add the salt; taste and adjust as needed. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
• For the grilled chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a grill for high heat and wipe down the grates with an oil-blotted paper towel.
• Combine the granulated garlic, salt, ancho powder, cumin, chipotle powder, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle the chicken pieces all over with spice mixture. Place the chicken on the grill, skin-side down, and cook until nicely charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the reverse side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Once chicken has acquired nice grill marks, transfer it to a roasting pan and finish cooking in the oven, 15 to 20 minutes.
• To serve, ladle the mole sauce onto a large platter and arrange the grilled chicken, skin-side up, on the top. Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Serve with extra mole sauce on the side.

CHICKEN MOLE

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt; place in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Place the tomatoes, onion, chiles, almonds, raisins, chocolate, oil, chipotle pepper, garlic, cumin and cinnamon in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Pour over chicken., Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender; skim fat. Serve chicken with sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro if desired. , Freeze option: Cool chicken in mole sauce. Freeze in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through slowly in a covered skillet or Dutch oven until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth or water if necessary.

CHICKEN IN MOLE, PUEBLA STYLE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, parboil the chicken in water seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Drain, reserving cooking broth, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the dish.
• Prepare the Mole Poblano. Clean the chiles by removing stems, veins, and seeds; reserve 1 tablespoon of the seeds. Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a heavy skillet until it shimmers. Fry the chiles until crisp, about 10 to 15 seconds, turning once; make sure they do not burn. Drain on paper towels. Put the chiles in a nonreactive bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving the soaking water. Puree the chiles in a blender with enough of the soaking water to make a smooth paste. It may be necessary to scrape down the sides and blend several times to obtain a smooth paste. In a heavy Dutch oven heat an additional 1/2 cup oil over medium heat and add the chile puree (be careful - it will splatter). Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Puree the tomatillos in a blender. In a coffee or spice grinder, grind the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, and toasted seeds. Add the seed mixture and the garlic to the pureed tomatillos and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy frying pan. Fry each of the following ingredients and then remove with a slotted spoon: the raisins until they puff up; the almonds to a golden brown; the pumpkin seeds until they pop. If necessary, add enough oil to make 4 tablespoons and fry the tortilla pieces and bread slices until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side; remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Add raisins, almonds, pumpkins seeds, tortillas, and bread to the tomatillo puree and blend, using 1 to 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, as needed, to make a smooth sauce. This may have to be done in batches. In a heavy Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the chile puree, the tomatillo puree, and the Mexican chocolate (be careful - it will splatter). Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 5 cups of chicken broth, cook over low heat for an additional 45 minutes, stirring often enough to prevent the mixture from scorching on the bottom. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add the parboiled chicken and heat through. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with white rice.

CHICKEN IN MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the chickens into pieces, reserving the breasts. Place chicken pieces except the breasts in a deep saucepan over medium heat; add the onion, garlic, and chicken broth. Cover the pan and simmer 25 minutes.
• Cut the breasts into halves and add to the saucepan; simmer until the chicken breasts are no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken; cut the meat into bite sized pieces.
• Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, reserving the liquid and discarding the onion, garlic, and skimmed fat. If you have less than 3 cups of reserved liquid, add water to make 3 cups. If you have more than 3 cups, return to the pan and bring to a boil; cook until volume of liquid reduces to 3 cups.
• Combine the chili powder, almonds, banana, cinnamon, salt, tortilla pieces, sesame seeds, and pine nuts in a blender. Blend on low, slowly adding the reserved liquid in a stream until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture and remaining liquid into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and chocolate; cook and stir until the butter and chocolate have melted. Stir the chicken pieces into the sauce; continue cooking until the chicken is heated completely through, 5 to 10 minutes.

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.

MARVELOUS MARINADE FOR GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk together all the marinade ingredients.
• Put your chicken pieces in a bowl and pour the marinade over.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably longer. Overnight is good.
• Fire up the grill, set the chicken over the hot coals briefly to sear the skin, then move to indirect heat on the grill to cook until the chicken is done.
• You can poke it with a knife to check for doneness ... the juices will run clear when the chicken is done.

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.