I grew up eating dishes like mole colorado on super special occasions. And I mean, SUPER special. It is a very labor-intensive dish, and one of my personal favorites. There are many of types of mole variations, and the state of Oaxaca even stakes claim to seven types of mole. A mole recipe will come with a long list of ingredients that usually include: chile peppers, nuts and/or seeds (or both), tortillas and/or bread (or both), tomatoes or tomatillos, onions, garlic, herbs, spices like cinnamon and cloves, sometimes fruit, sometimes chocolate - all of which, when put together, create a most decadent sauce. Yes, it is worth the effort. And no, you will not detect chocolate, or cinnamon, or any other single ingredient in the sauce. It just works.....
Mole colorado (red mole) is traditionally made with very non-Paleo ingredients, such as: bread, peanuts, and additional sugar. I have streamlined some of the ingredients to make this much more accessible, but it is still takes a while to make - and there is just now way around that.
The darker moles almost always include chocolate in the recipe. I know this may sound weird but it really good and absolutely necessary. Most cooks use the Abuelita brand of chocolate, which is easy to find in local grocery stores. But I found that using the Taza brand of organic Mexican chocolate with guajillo chile really elevates this dish. Please note the regular chocolate CANNOT be used.
*Note: Yes, I do know that refined sugar is not Paleo. And while I am sure there is a way around this issue by trying unsweetened chocolate in the recipe, I ignore the small amount of sugar the Mexican chocolate tablets contain and I will happily eat mole all day long.
Since this recipe requires a lot of effort, I recommend making this in stages! If time permits, I usually will cook the chicken the day before using my pressure cooker (20 min sounds about right), let it cool in the resulting broth, then store the whole pot in the fridge overnight.
The next day can then be devoted to the toasting of chile pods, onion and garlic, and the blending of the sauce. While these next few steps do not seem like they would take a long time, they do! This recipe makes a lot of sauce, which is awesome, since it means half of it can be then stored in the freezer for another time.
*Note: sesame/pumpkin seeds are much more authentic in moles but for some reason, I only had hemp seeds on hand and I decided it was perfect just like that!
Red Chicken Mole
- 2.5 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon salt
Cook the chicken in water along with the onion, garlic, and salt until just tender. I pressure cook mine for about 10 minutes, then release the pressure. This step can be done in a pot on the stove. Set aside to cool, then store both the cooked chicken and broth in the refrigerator or proceed to the next steps. I prefer to take the skin off once the chicken is cooked, but leave the bone on!
- 15 dried ancho chile pods, stemmed and seeds removed
- 1 medium onion
- 1 head garlic (outer papery husk removed, cloves separated but not peeled)
- 1 15-ounce can diced roasted tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoon raisins
- 2 tablespoon almond butter
- 2 tablets Mexican chocolate, broken into chunks (I use Taza, but Abuelita is most common)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-4 cups reserved chicken broth, as needed
- Salt, as needed
Set a large skillet over medium heat on the stove (I use a cast iron pan that covers two burners). When the pan is hot, press the chile pieces flat using a metal spatula until they change color and release their scent - about 10-15 seconds. Flip the chiles over and press again, lightly toasting the other side. The chile pieces may blister slightly, and that is ok. Just be careful not the burn them! If the chiles smoke, the pan is too hot and the chiles are likely burned - which will taste bitter..... Once all of the chiles are toasted, place them in a bowl and cover with hot water for at least 20 minutes to soften.
In the same skillet, press a piece of foil flat and lay the onion quarters and garlic cloves down. Roast the onion and garlic until everything is soft and has black spots - turning each piece often. Since my pan covers two burners, I usually will toast the chiles at the same time I am roasting the onions and garlic. Set the onions and garlic aside to cool. Peel the garlic when cool enough to handle.
In a blender, combine the soft and drained chile pods along with about a cup of the soaking liquid (reserve the rest just in case you need it), tomatoes, onions, peeled garlic, hemp seeds, oregano, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, raisins, and almond butter. This will make your blender really full and unless you have a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix), you may need to do this part in batches. Add additional soaking liquid, as needed, to make a smooth but very thick sauce.
*If you do have a high-powered blender, add the chocolate pieces and process until smooth. If you do not have a high-powered blender, and the sauce ingredients are all blended, strain the sauce through a sieve and discard any solids that remain. Scrape the sauce back into the blender jar and process with the chocolate until smooth.
Set a large pot over medium heat on the stove and warm the oil. Pour the now (almost!) finished sauce in the pot. Add about two cups of the reserved chicken broth and stir well. Place a lid on the pot, slightly askew, and simmer the sauce about 20-30 minutes, stirring every so often, until the sauce thickens once more.
Taste the sauce and season with salt. This may require more than a teaspoon - so start with one, taste, then add more, as needed. If the sauce is really thick, add a little extra broth. Reserve half of the mole and set aside to cool and store for a later date.
Add the cooked chicken to the pot, turning to coat each piece. Cover with the lid and simmer the entire dish for another 10 more minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
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