ISO TNT Chicken Mole recipe

Miniman

Mini man - maxi food
Gold Site Supporter
Can anyone help with a recipe and hints on this. DS wants this for a meal soon.
 

MexicoKaren

Joyfully Retired
Super Site Supporter
I've learned that there are lots of different kinds of moles - seven that originated in the state of Oaxaca alone. Only the dark ones have chocolate. DH and I don't care for the rich, dark moles, so I embarked upon a project to find and make a mole that we would like. Have to say this this is a bit of work, but the taste is dazzlingly complicated and multi-layered. This is a Mole Verde (or green mole). If it bothers you to eat green chicken, don't make this one. And I would recommend not using four serrano chiles - maybe two. You don't want the heat to overpower the flavor.


Pollo en Mole Verde
(Chicken in Green Mole)

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken, cut into serving size pieces
1 small onion
1 medium carrot, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 sprig cilantro

For the mole:
3/4 cup ground toasted pumpkin seeds (called pepitas, sold ground, or grind them yourself)
8 medium-size tomatillos, cut into quarters
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved
4 serrano chiles, seeded or not, according to taste (seeds are the hottest part of chiles)
4 poblano chiles, skinned, seeded and chopped (See Note)
4 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
3 sprigs cilantro
3 sprigs epazote (some people use parsley instead)
4 cups chicken stock, strained, from cooking the chicken
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Preparation:

Place the chicken, onion, carrot, garlic, and cilantro, along with salt to taste, in a stockpot with water to cover. Cook until tender, about 40 minutes, removing the white meat after 25-30 minutes so that it does not overcook and become rubbery. Remove from heat and set aside while you make the mole.
Put the tomatillos, onion, garlic and serranos in a saucepan with two cups of the strained chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for about five minutes, until the tomatillos become soft. Transfer this to a blender container, add the chopped poblanos and lettuce and puree until smooth. Add the ground pumpkin seeds, cilantro and epazote or parsley and puree again. Transfer this into a saucepan in which you have heated the vegetable oil, and stir continuously as you gradually add the remaining two cups of strained chicken stock.
Simmer over low heat about thirty minutes, stirring frequently to make sure that the sauce doesn't burn or stick. Taste for salt. Serve in soup or stew bowls: place a piece of chicken in each bowl, ladle the mole over it, and accompany with plenty of warm tortillas.
NOTE: To remove the skins from poblano chiles, roast them over a gas flame or in a broiler, turning until they are charred all over. Then place them in a plastic bag for 10-15 minutes. This loosens the skin and makes them easy to slide off under a stream of running water.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Wow, Karen, your recipe looks great - interesting and delicous!

Does it turn out green?

YUM!

Lee
 

MexicoKaren

Joyfully Retired
Super Site Supporter
Yep, QSis, it does turn out green. Well, not the chicken itself, but the sauce is very green. It would probably look better if the chicken were browned, but that just isn't the way mole is made. But it tastes spectacular - all those different flavors together...YUM.
 

Miniman

Mini man - maxi food
Gold Site Supporter
Thanks Karen - it looks good but my son wants the chocolate in it. I may give a go another time.
 
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