I remember the first time I ever had mole sauce; I was visiting some friends in San Diego and we went to a highly recommended Mexican restaurant that served some incredibly delicious food – as authentic as we’ve ever had in Mexico. And when I asked the waiter what he recommended, he didn’t hesitate to suggest the Chicken Mole as his favorite. So I took his advice, placed the order, and so began my love affair with Mole sauce.
Over the years, I’ve tried to replicate it, but never been successful, though I keep at it in an ever-stubborn quest to get that perfectly balanced flavor that I still crave. And since we’re managing a couple food allergies around here, it’s nice to have a dish that feels more exotic than it is, which is one of the reasons I adore Mole. Not to mention that it’s a great way to sneak in some anti-oxidant rich Cocao into your diet!
And while I love mole sauce, I know it’s an acquired taste for many people, so when I make it for our son I use a variation that he prefers which leaves out the peppers and pumpkin seeds, and relies on peanut butter to give a toasty flavor to the sauce. I hope this version works well for you too, and would love to hear your thoughts on it below. Remember, this isn’t authentic Mole, but it’s a great way to get your kids to love it!
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken legs
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Mole:
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 3/4 cups GF chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons smooth Organic peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 5.5 ounces dark Cocao, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash chicken legs and set aside.
- Preheat skillet over medium high heat until hot.
- Add 1/2 cup Olive Oil to skillet and let heat (approx 1 minute)
- Add chicken to the oil.
- Let simmer for 5 minutes, then flip chicken over.
- Cook another 5 minutes, flipping once.
- Continue to cook chicken for a total of 25-30 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked, flipping occasionally to ensure it's evenly browned.
- Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, oregano, salt & pepper to taste.
- Flip once more and reduce heat to low.
- For the Mole:
- In a heavy large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute 3 minutes, or until translucent.
- Then add the minced garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
- Transfer onion and garlic mixture to blender with all remaining mole ingredients (except for the chocolate and chicken) and blend until very smooth.
- Transfer the sauce to a medium saute pan and bring to 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 to taste.
- Transfer chicken to serving dish and pour mole sauce over each leg, leaving some for a side dish that guests can use as they prefer.
Notes
To add the typical mole heat, add 5 dried pasilla chiles, (or dried anocho chiles) stemmed and seeded to the sauce. If using them, be sure to reconstitute the dried chiles by soaking them in 1 1/2 cups hot water for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside, adding them to the blender with other ingredients.
