OLE', Mole'!

I've always loved Mexican Food. Living in Texas has allowed me to indulge in this wonderful cuisine more than I normally would. I not only enjoy eating Mexican food, I've been learning how to cook it (as authentically as I can).

Last year, my friend Novia, introduced me to Mole'. I'd NEVER heard of it before, but when I tasted it, I was addicted! Mole' has become one of my favorite Mexican dishes of all time.

What is Mole', you might ask? It's a thick, rich, chocolate-tinged sauce that is served with chicken (or turkey) over a bed of rice. Weird, huh? Chocolate sauce with chicken and rice! IT IS SO GOOD! The recipe I am sharing is the recipe my friend Novia introduced me to (and is very easy to make!) using a pre-made sauce base (from a jar).

Mole Poblano

(Chicken with Chocolate Sauce)

• 2-3 lbs. Chicken (I use boneless/skinless)
• 8 cups chicken broth (from cooking the chicken)
• 1 Jar 9oz *GOYA Mole' (see note below)
• 2-3 TB creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 cup flour

Cook Chicken in approximately 9 cups of water. After Chicken is cooked, take chicken out of broth and set aside. Measure out 1 cup of chicken broth in mixing bowl; set aside. Add jar of mole', peanut butter, salt, and sugar to remaining pan of chicken broth. Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly, until everything is dissolved. Add 1/2 cup flour to the reserved 1 cup chicken broth; mix thoroughly until smooth. Add to large mole' mixture, stirring on low-med heat until well mixed and sauce begins to thicken. Add chicken back to Mole' mixture. Serve over rice and with flour tortillas if you wish. Serves 8-10.

*I use Goya Mole' (see picture); found in the Mexican isle of my local grocery store. If your store doesn't carry this brand, any brown color (chocolate base) Mole' sauce would work. If you still can't find the mix and are real interested in this dish, you may make your own mix with this recipe (click link) ... you may have to improvise with the ingredients.

History on this dish:
Legends say this concoction was made so famous in the 16th century, in the colonial mountain city of Puebla, Mexico by some desperate nuns who upon learning that the Archbishop was coming for a visit, went into a panic because they had nothing to serve him. The nuns started praying desperately and an angel came to inspire them. They began chopping and grinding and roasting, mixing different types of chiles together with spices, day-old bread, nuts, a little chocolate and approximately 20 other ingredients...

Today, there are a number of variations of Mole'. Mole is considered a unique feature of Mexico’s culinary heritage served or weddings, festivals and national holidays.