Chicken Mole
Chicken thighs baked in a deeply flavorful and complex sauce made with dried chiles, prunes, chocolate, aromatics, peanut butter, and warm spices.
This chicken mole is a labor of love but worth the time and effort! The chicken turned out tender and flavorful after baking in the intensely flavored homemade Mexican mole sauce. I served this rich and delicious chicken mole with tortillas, garlic rice, pickled red onions, radish slices, fresh cilantro, sour cream, and plenty of lime wedges. We all thought this meal was delicious and I had so much fun trying a recipe that is far out of my comfort zone.
Chicken Mole
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- Chili powder, to taste
- Cumin, to taste
- Coriander, to taste
- Garlic powder, to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 cups homemade mole sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
Garnish:
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Serving:
- Garlic rice
- Pickled red onions
- Warm tortillas
- Radishes, sliced
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges
How to Make Chicken Mole
Make the homemade mole sauce (the recipe makes 4 cups of mole sauce and you’ll need 2 cups for this recipe).
Prepare the pickled red onions, set in the refrigerator until needed.
Make the garlic rice, if desired.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or oven proof skillet over medium-high heat.
Season each side of the chicken thighs with a bit of chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
Sear the chicken in the HOT skillet until golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken thighs from the skillet and place them on a plate.
Add the 2 cups of mole sauce and 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the the skillet and whisk to combine. Nestle the chicken and their juices into the sauce, making sure they are all well-coated.
Cover with a lid and place into the oven to bake until the thighs are cooked all the way through, ( 165 degrees F), about 20-25 minutes.
Sprinkle the top with toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro leaves.
Serve with garlic rice, pickled red onions, warm tortillas, radish slices, sour cream, and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- Chili powder to taste
- Cumin to taste
- Coriander to taste
- Garlic powder to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 2 cups homemade mole sauce
- ¼ cup chicken broth
Garnish:
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Serving:
- Garlic rice
- Pickled red onions
- Warm tortillas
- Radishes sliced
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Make the homemade mole sauce (the recipe makes 4 cups of mole sauce and you'll need 2 cups for this recipe). *See the recipe link up above. Side Note: You can make the sauce the ahead of time, which is what I did.
- Prepare the pickled red onions, set in the refrigerator until needed. *See the recipe link up above.
- Make the garlic rice, if desired. *See the recipe link up above.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or oven proof skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season each side of the chicken thighs with a bit of chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
- Add the 2 cups of mole sauce and 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the the skillet and whisk to combine. Nestle the chicken and their juices into the sauce, making sure they are all well-coated.
- Cover with a lid and place into the oven to bake until the thighs are cooked all the way through, ( 165 degrees F), about 20-25 minutes.
- Sprinkle the top with toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro leaves.
- Serve with garlic rice, pickled red onions, warm tortillas, radish slices, sour cream, and lime wedges. Enjoy!
That sauce is so rich and flavourful…would be fantastic with pork too.
This dinner looks very delicious.
The mention of it being a labor of love indicates that the preparation may have been time-consuming or required effort, but the final result was deemed worth it.
The step-by-step instructions seem very clear and well-written. The tips on seasoning the chicken and searing it first before baking it in the sauce are good techniques to ensure flavorful and tender chicken.