"Yellow" Mole with Grilled Chicken and Vegetables
This recipe was inspired by a restaurant in Mexico that had more than 5 different types of mole on their menu with various proteins. They served their "yellow" mole (which is actually more orange in color), with duck breast. I've adapted it here with a nice crispy, charred chicken thigh. It may seem like a lot of work, but it comes together pretty easily. You will have extra sauce leftover for next time so you can skip that part!
Ingredients for chicken:
Ingredients for vegetables:
Canola oil
3/4lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half to about 2 inch pieces
1.5lb bag baby potatoes (preferably yellow potatoes), cut in half
1 chayote (or choko, squash vegetable native to Mexico and Guatamala but you should be able to find it in your local ethnic markets), cubed to match the size of the potatoes
salt and pepper
3/4lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half to about 2 inch pieces
1.5lb bag baby potatoes (preferably yellow potatoes), cut in half
1 chayote (or choko, squash vegetable native to Mexico and Guatamala but you should be able to find it in your local ethnic markets), cubed to match the size of the potatoes
salt and pepper
Ingredients for mole:
4 tomatillos, quartered (about 3/4lb)
4 roma tomatoes, quartered (about 3/4lb)
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
3-4 cups chicken stock (today I used a combo stock that was homemade from herb scraps, chicken bones, shrimp shells and crab shells)
4 dried guajillo peppers
4 dried chile puya
2 dried chile de arbol
1/2 tsp ground Mexican cinnamon or 1/4 tsp regular cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano (if you don't have Mexican oregano, skip it or crumble up a bay leaf)
1 hoja santa leaf, rinsed (could be fresh or dried)
1 cup of masa
2 TBSP canola oil
salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Start by marinating your chicken the night before. Rub the pepper paste and spices all over and refrigerate.
2. Start your sauce. When toasting peppers, it may make you cough inhaling the smell you may want to wear a face mask. De-stem your pepper and remove the seeds. Slice them length-wise so that you can remove the ribs and they lay flat. Heat a dry skillet to medium high heat. Toast the peppers for a few seconds each side pressing down with a spatula. They should lighten up in color. Remove and let cool.
3. Prepare a pot with 2 cups of stock. Add your toasted peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes, onion, garlic with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium. Let summer until vegetables are soft and tomatillos have changed colors.
4. Add your spices - cinnamon, oregano, cloves, cumin and stir.
5. Cover and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the fridge and set on the counter.
6. Blend the sauce mixture in a blender or with an immersion blender.
7. In the same pot you made the sauce in, heat 2 TBSP oil over medium high heat. Strain your sauce through a fine mesh strainer directly into the hot pot with the oil. This is traditional mole cooking where you're "frying" the sauce. When all the sauce is in the pot, stir and bring to a simmer. Let reduce for 10 minutes.
8. After 10 minutes, add about 2 cups of stock to your sauce along with the crushed santa leaf and stir. Continue cooking for 20 minutes.
9. Prepare your vegetables. Toss potatoes and chayote with oil, salt and pepper. Put those in the oven at 425 first for about 15 minutes. If you're using the grill you want to cook with the lid closed, indirect heat and monitor temp.
10. Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Add your chicken. Cook over direct heat until charred and then move to indirect heat until cooked through, at least 165 degrees internal temp - about 20 minutes. Let rest.
11. Mix 1 cup of masa with 3/4 cup of water. Work together with your hands to form a ball. Divide that "dough" in half.
12. Reserve one half of your "dough". With the other half, break it into a few pieces, add to a blender or cup with 1 cup of water. Make a slurry with this mixture.
13. When your potatoes and chayote have cooked for 15 minutes, turn them. Add the green beans to the pan and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, or until tender.
14. With half of the "dough" left, form into about 8 balls. Press a thumb print (or use the back of a measuring spoon to from an indent) to make 8 dumplings or chochoyotes. There are many variations of these and sometimes involve other ingredients or seasonings. Because we're putting ours in a flavorful sauce I chose not to add any other flavors to these.
15. When your sauce has cooked 20 minutes, whisk in the slurry and bring it to a simmer. Add your dumplings and continue simmering to thicken your sauce - about 10-15 minutes.
16. Chicken should be done and kept warm. Vegetables should be done and kept warm. If your sauce is thickened to your liking (taste for seasoning) you're done.
17. Serve the sauce on the bottom of the plate. Top with chicken pieces, Then place a few vegetables on top and all around. Place 2-3 dumplings per plate.
Optional garnish - pickled onions or pickled jalepenos. My husband also added Tabasco :)
Pickled onions:
Place 1/2 white onion, sliced thin into a glass jar. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 lime. Shake. Reserve for at least 30 minutes. You can use this to top your dish to add some acidity and crunch.
Wine pairing:
Pine Ridge
2021
Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
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