Pollo Mole Verde

Submitted by dicentra

"Cooking Light."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 6 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 dash fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1⁄4 cups chicken broth, divided
• 2 tomatillos
• 1 small serrano chili, stem removed
• 1 garlic clove
• 1⁄2 small onion, peeled and root end intact
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 large romaine lettuce leaves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• cooking spray
• 3 cups hot cooked rice

directions

1. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat; add pumpkinseeds. Cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan frequently. Remove from heat; cool completely.
2. Place pumpkinseeds, salt, cumin, cinnamon, and black pepper in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground.
3. Place spice mixture in a small bowl; stir in 1/2 cup broth. Set aside.
4. Heat skillet over medium-high heat; add tomatillos, chile, garlic, and onion. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, turning frequently.
5. Remove from heat; cool. Quarter tomatillos. Trim root from onion half; discard root.
6. Place tomatillos, chile, garlic, and onion in a blender or food processor; process until coarsely chopped.
7. Add 1/4 cup broth, cilantro, and lettuce; process until smooth.
8. Prepare grill. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium heat. Add pureed tomatillo mixture; reduce heat to low, and cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
9. Stir in spice mixture and 1/4 cup broth; simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup broth, stirring with a whisk. Remove from heat; keep warm.
10. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Top chicken with mole. Serve with rice.

Reviews

[3KillerBs]

A pale and watery shadow of the pollo mole verde I've had at work when the best Mexican cook in the department brought it in for a potluck lunch. The sauce never thickened properly and the single serrano pepper didn't add enough spice that a person who didn't know they were eating a Mexican dish would guess that it was supposed to be spicy. This is marked as being from Cooking Light and I suspect that the lightening process removed critical elements from the flavor.