Lorena’s Chicken Mole Rojo pairs perfectly with our Mi Sueño Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. The enticing flavors of cassis, warm black plums, and fresh figs of this award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon will balance perfectly with the dark spicy flavors of the Mole.
Chicken Mole Rojo Recipe
Ingredients
1 tomato, quartered
1 onion, quartered
1 cup grapeseed oil
6 Mulato peppers, seeded and deveined
6 Ancho peppers, seeded and deveined
6 Pasilla peppers, seeded and deveined
4 garlic cloves
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup prunes
3 slices white bread
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon anise seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
5 whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablet Abuelita Chocolate, chopped
2 oranges, juiced
salt to taste
4 lbs chicken breasts
Heat your oven to 400ºF and roast the tomato and onion on a baking sheet for 20 minutes or until browned. When cooked, reserve them in a large bowl.
Heat ½ cup of the grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat and toast the peppers, a few at a time so you do not overcrowd the pan, until fragrant. Place the toasted peppers in a bowl with hot water to soak for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
With the oil still in the pan, fry the almonds and garlic, stirring regularly until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place into the bowl with the tomato and onion. Add the prunes to the pan and cook for 1 minute, then add them to the bowl. Fry the bread, one piece at a time, on both sides until golden brown, then add them to the bowl. Finally, add the spices to the pan and fry, constantly stirring, for 30 seconds, and then add to the bowl.
Remove the peppers from the water and place them in a blender with 1 cup of chicken broth and puree until smooth and then add to a sauce pot.
Puree the other ingredients in the bowl with an additional cup of chicken broth, orange juice, and chocolate- be sure to remove the cinnamon stick as it will not blend. You may need to do this in batches if your blender is not big enough. Add the puree to the pot with the pepper puree and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt.
Heat ½ cup of the grapeseed oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breast and cook on each side until brown – about 5 minutes. Once browned, add the mole sauce to the skillet and simmer until the chicken is cooked – about 30 minutes. Serve with Spanish rice and warm tortillas on the side.