Easy Healthier Crock-Pot Chicken Mole
Cocoa and chilli in Mexico always symbolized power and glory. Mole is the combination of both, and for this very reason, so worthy of your attention.
Before taking any step further, let’s do the name thing. This is not “Mohl”, there’s an accent on the “e”; so “Moh-LAY.”
Mole is a sweet and spicy rich dark sauce; made with chocolate, two different kind of chiles, tomatoes, almonds, raisins, cumin, cinnamon, and onion (aka the usual suspect).
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Spices add flavour, chocolate depth.
Mole is like a good wine. It has rough sweetness paired with a refined silkness.
It doesn't taste like chocolate at all; it just has a hint of that.
There are layers of rustic flavors that will convert even the skeptical ones.
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I have an old mole recipe that I made when I had a lot of time in my hands — you know, when I was a student and all.
It’s very complicated and involves frying the chiles and melting chocolate in a double boiler. It’s amazing - of course - but not practical for this season of life.
So I adapted it, made a few changes to make it healthier, threw everything in the crockpot and hoped.
Hoped that this (way too easy) meal actually tasted somewhat edible.
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I got lucky. By the time I got home, the kitchen (well, more like the whole apt) smelled amazing.
This chicken mole was awesome and so comforting. As in comfort food, just a little lighter and so easy to make. Oh-so-easy.
The kind of recipe you can throw everything in the crock-pot, turn it on and forget about it.
That easy.
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I normally brown my meat before I put it in the Crock-pot, but for this I did not miss it at all. There is so much flavor in the mole sauce that you don’t need to brown the chicken first.
One less pan to worry about.
The color of the sauce may vary from light brown to almost black, depending on the chocolate you’re using. I recommend at least +70% dark chocolate. Sharp, not too sweet, just fantastic.
This chicken mole is perfect for a warming weeknight meals or a great weekend get-together.
Like I said, just throw it all in and go.
When it’s ready, crank up some music, perhaps a Margarita, whirl whirl, eat and enjoy.
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Ingredients
Serves 5
1 lb / 453 gr boneless organic free-range chicken breast, cubed
1 can (28 oz / 793 gr) whole tomatoes (I used Muir Glen)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 dried ancho chile pepper (I used San Miguel)
1 chipotle chile pepper
½ cup / 1.8 oz / 50 gr sliced almonds
¼ cup / 1.3 oz / 40 gr raisins
3 oz / 85 gr, +70% dark chocolate, chopped (I used Dagoba)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ ground cinnamon
Fresh chopped cilantro, for serving
Directions
In a blender (or food processor) puree tomatoes, onion, ancho chiles, chipotle chile, almonds, raisins, chocolate, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and olive oil until smooth.
Add the chicken to a slow cooker and then pour the tomato mixture over the chicken so the chicken is completely covered, and place the lid on.
Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. I like to stir mine once or twice during cooking, but it is not necessary. When ready to serve taste and adjust with seasoning.
Nutrition facts
One serving yields 560 calories, 24 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbs and 64 grams of protein.
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