This Chicken with Mole Sauce recipe uses a secret ingredient to give an amazing flavor and depth to the decadent mole sauce. Make this tasty, spicy dish for dinner tonight!
2tablespoonsbrewed espresso or strong brewed coffee(or use ½ - 1 teaspoon instant coffee)
teaspoonsaltto taste
Optional sauce ingredients: 1 tablespoon lime juice, pinch of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, ¼ cup cashews or peanuts
Instructions
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with ground cumin.
Preheat a skillet and add the olive oil. Add the seasoned chicken breasts. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned. Remove the chicken onto a plate. The chicken won’t be fully cooked yet, and that’s OK.
In the same skillet or in a small saucepan, sauté the diced onion, minced garlic clove, and diced jalapeño in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 5 minutes, or until the onion starts to soften. Add the chopped tomato, and the dried oregano, and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, cocoa powder, coffee, and salt, to taste. If you want to add cinnamon, sesame seeds, nuts, or lime juice, add them at this time too. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should start to reduce in volume.
Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until mostly smooth, or transfer to a small food processor or blender and process until smooth. Be careful, this is hot!
Add the browned chicken and the sauce back to the skillet, and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, or until the sauce is further reduced and the chicken is fully cooked and starts to shred easily. Adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Add more water a few tablespoons at a time, if necessary, to prevent the sauce from burning or getting too thick.
Lightly shred the chicken, or roughly dice the chicken. Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges, and serve over rice.
Notes
You can double the sauce recipe and freeze some to use for later
Other serving ideas: in tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, on pizza!
Feel free to use more traditional poblano peppers instead of jalapeño, if you can find those
The optional sauce ingredients are optional (obviously), but are a nice addition if you're looking for an even richer, thicker mole sauce