The best way to handle the heat outside is with spicy foods. This delicious mole is made using Chocolate balsamic vinegar to add sweetness and tang. Make it as spicy or tame as you prefer.
Recipe Credit: Rachel Bradley, Veronica Foods
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Olive This! Single Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 5 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 1 cup Olive This! Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
- 3-4″ strips of orange peel and the juice from 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 1/4 pounds onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 6 large garlic cloves, sliced
- 4 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 4 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 4 ounces dried pasilla chiles,* stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
- 1 ounce dried ancho chiles,* stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
- 1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
- 3-4″ strips of orange peel
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy stock pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sauté in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place the browned chicken in a large bowl until all remaining chicken is browned.
Add the chicken back to the still warm pot, include any juices. Add the broth, balsamic and orange juice; bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender.
In a separate pot heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add pumpkin seeds, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Sauté until the seeds and garlic begin to color, about 2 minutes. Add chilies and stir until soft, approximately 3 minutes.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a large bowl and reserve. Pour the chicken cooking liquid into saucepan with the onion mixture. Add orange peel, currents or raisins, oregano and cinnamon to the the pan. Cover and simmer until chilies are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and working in small batches, transfer sauce mixture to blender and puree until smooth; return to reserved pot. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Coarsely shred chicken and return to sauce; stir to coat.
This can be made up to two days ahead of time. It’s actually even better the next day! Simply chill in a covered container and rewarm over low heat before serving. Serve with rice or warm corn tortillas, along with a garnish of chopped fresh cilantro.
Serves 6
Have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried this dish? Do you have a variation that you think others will enjoy? Leave us a comment below (providing your email address is not necessary).
The recipe instruction use orange juice for cooking the chicken and orange peel for cooking the sauce, while ingredient list mentions orange “zest” (same as peel, I assume) but not orange juice. Wondering how much orange juice should be used in cooking the chicken.
Hi. Thank you for spotting this! I have updated the ingredient list to state “peel” instead of zest and the juice of one orange, which is about 1/2 cup. I hope it turned out well for you. I am particularly fond of this recipe.
~ Stephanie
Stephanie, could you also clarify how the currants or raisins are used? The cooking instructions don’t mention them. (I assume they’re added with the orange peel etc. and are eventually pureed, but not sure, because they might work pumped and kept whole.) Thanks. (Looking forward to cooking this tonight!)
Stephanie, I think the cooking instructions also need to be revised to say when the currents or raisins are added. I just cooked this recipe, using golden raisins and adding them to the mole at the same time as the shredded chicken. I did this because I like the taste and texture of having whole, plumped-up (rather than pureed) raisins in the sauce. I realize this is a matter of personal taste, and that other mole recipes that use fruit puree it. This is a great recipe, either way, and quite easy as mole recipes go. Many thanks.
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! I consulted Rachel who authored this mole recipe and she added the raisins with the orange peel and then pureed it all together. I will update the recipe with her notes, but I like your idea as well. Leaving the raisins plump in the sauce would add a great texture and flavor pop to this chicken dish.
Question about what is the chile negro pepper. When I googled it, dried pasilla chiles are called chile negro peppers, so I’m wondering what kind of pepper to purchase for the chile negro pepper. Is it a dried ancho pepper?
Thank you for reaching out to us. You are correct in your analysis of the peppers. Chile negro pepper is the same as pasilla chiles. This recipe was a reposted recipe from our supplier and the Head Chef of Veronica Foods. While we did not personally make this recipe, we have made other moles. We suggest using 1 ounce of dried ancho chiles and 4 ounces of dried pasilla or negro peppers. I will fix this error in the recipe so that the next person is not confused. Thank you!