Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Mole recipe (adapted from my mother-in-law's recipe, SHOUT OUT!)

This recipe was adapted from my mother-in-law's, Mary Contreras (shout out), recipe for mole which is outstanding and amazing on its own but I found it a little bit difficult to replicate hers so I made my own tweaks to it. :) Mary is an UH-MAZING cook and we keep telling her to open her own restaurant. She still thinks we're crazy. ha

Ingredients:
Serves 6 (if serve only 3 oz of meat---can make more meat because mole sauce alone can serve a lot more)
-3 Shredded and boiled chicken breasts-with skin and bone in (mary uses an entire chicken and leaves the pieces as a whole--you can totally do this but we only eat lean cuts of meat in our house)
Note: I hate dry chicken so I make sure to only gently boil my chicken breasts for an hour with the lid on and that's why bone-in, skin on works so well here but you're also welcome to use any kind of chicken you like and will tolerate :)

-Broth from boiled chicken breasts (at least 4 cups)
-Doña Maria mole in a jar (can be found in Mexican food aisle usually by the jalapeños...most other moles will suffice.) 2 tbs (I eyeball it and sometimes use a tbs more but that's up to you--adding more mole makes it spicier)
-1-2 tbs sugar (you can vary this--more sugar decreases spiciness but I like the sweet kick it adds)
-3/4 tsp of salt
-1 tsp-1 tbs of creamy peanut butter (optional-add as much as you like for flavor--mole already has peanuts in it)
-rous

Directions:

1. Before I start, I put 1 1/2 cups of the hot chicken broth into a measuring cup and add 2-3 tbs of Dona Maria mole and let it sit for AT LEAST 10 minutes to soften the mole
2. I then start the sauce by making a rous (note: Mary doesn't do this, she thickens hers by adding the flour alone to the pan before she adds the mole/broth combo and you are completely welcome to do that as well--it's easier to do this if you add sifted flour)--I use 2 tbs of butter, let it melt, then I add 2 tbs of flour and whisk to form a paste--let it cook a few mins to cook the flour taste out
3. Then I add the broth/mole mixture and follow it by adding another 2 1/2 cups of broth and whisk til all the lumps are gone (the broth should still be hot--at least very warm so that the lumps will cook out evenly and quickly)
4. Then add salt, sugar, and peanut butter
5. Simmer and reduce for 20 to 30 minutes (I sometimes go as long as 45 minutes depending on bath/feeding schedules but you just have to keep whisking it.)

This recipe allows for a mole that is not very thick. It's more of a light soupy gravy which sticks to the chicken just enough for my liking and it's got a nice mix of sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness. If you want it thicker, make a thicker rous (add equal parts butter and flour.) I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Again, the sauce can serve more people and accommodate more chicken. Per weight watchers, I call it 8 servings for the sauce alone (and it is 3-4 weight watchers points depending on the amt of peanut butter you add.) I don't use very much sauce. Please let me know what you think and any changes, if any, you made to make it your own. :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Okay Ronnie-- trying this tonight... wish me luck! ~Danielle