Quick Chicken Mole

I remember the first time I tasted Chicken Mole.  I was living in San Miguel de Allende and a local family had invited us for dinner.  They raised their own chickens and lived on the river.  They literally ground the corn for tortillas on river rocks…very, very home made.  I remember they told me that their Mole had something like 25 spices and ingredients in it and that the secret ones were peanut butter and chocolate.  I was 13 years old, so I was all in!  Later when I learned what effort really went into this dish, I realized what a huge deal it was that this family had invited us into their home and prepared Mole and Tortillas for us.  Now I have made this dish many times the long way, with 25 ingredients, but this quick and easy recipe is a surprisingly good replica of the original dish.  We served this one as an appetizer on Fresh Corn Gorditas so we shredded the chicken at the end for small portions on top of each corn gordita–also drizzled with some crema!  I’ll share that recipe soon.

Generously season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 minutes per side or until browned

Stir onion and sweet potato into skillet; cook and stir 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned.

Add chicken broth, cocoa, peanut butter, Chimayo Spice, cinnamon and salt. Bring to boil.

Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Quick and Spicy Mole Chicken

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)

salt and pepper

1/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 sweet potato, cut into 1″ cubes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon Chimayo Spice Mix (or your favorite Southwestern blend of spices-think cumin, oregano, chili powder)

1 teaspoon good quality cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

Generously season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 minutes per side or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet. Set aside.

Stir onion and sweet potato into skillet; cook and stir 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned. Add chicken broth, cocoa, peanut butter, Chimayo Spice, cinnamon and salt. Bring to boil. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Remove skillet from heat. Stir in sour cream. Serve over rice.