Chicken Mole Express

Kcfoxy's Note:

Had this really delicious dish at a friend's Mexican wedding many years back. I went into the kitchen to find out what this wonderful sauce was. Turns out it was mole (accent on the "e", moe-lay), a Central Mexican specialty paste with lots of spices, chocolate, various nuts and seeds all ground together in a pestle. Talk about labor intensive! One of the cooks showed me her secret, a jarred mole paste which you will find in the Mexican section of larger supermarkkets. Now you can combine the prepared paste with water or broth for your very own mole. My recipe is a quick variation on that, you can use cooked leftover chicken like I do, or chop up boneless, skinless tenders if you please. The wedding feast featured turkey mole, with Mexican rice, a simple salad with pico de gallo and plenty of fresh, warm flour tortillas all the better to mop of that delicous sauce. Newbies may prefer to try this over steamed white or brown rice for the first go-round. The sour cream is not traditional, but sour cream is traditional in Mexican cooking/restaurants as dairy products tend to reduce the 'heat' of some of the more incendiary dishes. This really isn't that hot at all, but my Other Half, who does not do spicy, will gladly slurp this down with the addition of sour cream ;-) The seasonings are up to you. This is a basic recipe, a jumping off point. We tend to use low sodium and reduced fat products as much as possible, but you can sub a few chicken bouillon cubes and water for the broth, or poach your fresh chicken and use that liquid as well, use full fat sour cream, et al.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 cups white meat chicken , cooked, torn into chunks
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken stock (low sodium preferred)
• 3 tablespoons mole (Dona Maria brand preferred)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (Combine with 2 Tablespoons water)
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder (not chocolate drink powder)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• ¼-½ cup light sour cream
• 4 -6 dashes Tabasco sauce , Green (optional)

Directions:

1. Carefully open lid on jarred mole sauce. Stir sauce with a knife, as this is the consistency of natural peanut butter, with the oils rising to the top. You'll want to blend this a bit for overall uniformity.
2. In chicken fryer or deep saute pan combine mole paste, cocoa powder and sugar with 1/2 Cup of the chicken broth over medium heat.
3. Gradually stir n remainder of liquid.
4. Add cooked chicken, reduce heat and simmer 10 minute.
5. Add corn starch slurry to simmering sauce, increase heat to medium high, and stir lightly until it comes to gentle boil for 1 minute and thickened.
6. Turn off heat, stir in Tabasco sauce after first tasting.
7. Sour cream for those who prefer a more bland sauce!
8. Tips:.
9. Use 2 Tblsp. of mole paste for mild taste, 3 Tblsp. for moderate and 4 Tblsp. for a more robust mole flavor.
10. Dona Maria is the best tasting prepared mole sauce I've found, and this saucy chicken is so wonderful over your own steamed rice or as the star of some unique enchiladas!
11. A whisk is helpful in blending the mole paste with the broth.
12. Excellent way to use leftover turkey as well.