Papantla Style Mole Sauce With Chicken Recipes

CHICKEN MOLE WITH FOUR CHILES

Steps:

• Remove the stems, veins and seeds from the chiles (you might want to wear gloves when you do this). Heat the lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the chiles, and cook and stir until the chiles are fragrant, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn them. Remove the chiles and place them in a large bowl.
• Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove and add to the bowl with the chiles.
• Break the flour and corn tortillas into pieces, and add them to the skillet. Toast on both sides, turning often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove; add to the bowl.
• If needed, melt a small amount of additional lard in the skillet. Add the plantain pieces to the skillet, and cook and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove plantain; add to the bowl.
• Stir the almonds and peanuts into the skillet, and cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the sesame seeds and continue cooking until sesame seeds are lightly browned, 15-30 seconds. Remove; add to the bowl.
• Warm the tomatoes over medium heat in the skillet until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Break the chocolate into chunks and stir into the tomatoes until melted. Pour the chocolate and tomato mixture into the bowl with the chile mixture; stir to combine.
• Working in small batches, puree the mixture in a blender until smooth, adding a small amount of water if needed to make a smooth sauce.
• Place the chicken into a large Dutch oven; pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and simmer over medium low heat until the chicken falls off the bone, 2-3 hours.

PAPANTLA-STYLE MOLE SAUCE WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Cook all the chicken pieces in the chicken broth in a large pot until cooked through and tender. Cook the breasts 20 minutes then remove them to a bowl and cover, to prevent overcooking. Remove the thighs about 10 minutes later (or 30 minutes total), and put them in the bowl with the chicken breasts. Keep the broth warm over low heat until added to the sauce. 2. In a medium skillet, toast the anchos until aromatic and slightly blistered. Do not burn. Put the anchos in a medium bowl and cover with hot water. Soak about 20 minutes. 3. Preheat the oven to 325°. In the same skillet used for toasting the anchos, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, tortillas, bread, plantain, cloves, and canela. Cook, stirring, frequently, until the tomatoes soften and the skins blister and char lightly. 4. Transfer the skillet ingredients to a blender. Add 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, the soaked anchos, and the chipotles. Blend until very smooth. Transfer the blended sauce to a large heavy ovenproof pan or casserole dish. 5. Cook, stirring, until the sauce comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. Add the piloncillo and 1 cup of the reserved broth. Cook, stirring, over low heat, until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. The sauce should have the consistency of heavy cream. If too thick, add additional hot broth. Add salt. Add the cooked pieces of chicken to the pan, and transfer to the oven and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside, and the sauce is simmering, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.