May 04, 2022
Chicken Mole
Gluten-free | dairy-free | Refined sugar-free
Serves: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Course: Dinner
Cook time: 3 - 4 hours
Chicken Mole is arguably one of the most well-known dishes from Mexico. It has enticed and excited palates for hundreds of years with its seemingly unusual chicken and dark chocolate combination.
Unusual to some but very normal to the cuisine of Mexico as the concept of combining a protein, like chicken, with dark, decadent chocolate has been around since the Aztecs, where they not only used chocolate to flavour food but also to improve the health benefits.
Hints, Tips & Tricks
The Mole sauce that makes this dish is layered and complex in flavour it's so incredibly flexible in use. Serve with pumpkin seeds, almonds, coriander, coconut yoghurt, cauliflower rice, pickled lemons, lemon pickle, pickled cabbage, broccoli rice, salad or cauliflower tacos!
This recipe calls for inulin powder, a soluble fibre derived from plant-based sources. It is prebiotic, making it a fantastic ingredient for our gut health, and it's also a healthy alternative to sugar. You can read more information about inulin powder --> here. Or, if you're wondering where to purchase some, we sell 100% Chicory Inulin Powder for home delivery*! Find out more --> here.
Make sure to use good quality, sugar-free dark chocolate. You can purchase some HERE. Real dark chocolate is made from cocoa powder and cocoa butter (the fatty portion of the cacao bean), making it naturally dairy-free. Some brands add dairy to their dark chocolates, so be sure to read the ingredients list before you buy.
Before you start, you'll also need to prepare my Kombu Water. Kombu water is my healthy broth alternative and one of my favourite foundation recipes. If you need the recipe, you can find it here.
RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2-3 dried red chillies, more or less depending on your heat preferences
- 6 mild dried red peppers or 1 large roasted red capsicum cut into strips
- 50 g (1.7 oz) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 60 g (2 oz) whole almonds
- 70 g (2.4 oz) dried figs
- 1.5 kg (3 lbs) chicken thigh, skinned and deboned
- 2 med red onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- Mineral salt
- 200 ml (7 FL oz) Kombu Water
Mole sauce
- 4 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 4 tbsp Pure as Inulin Powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- ½ tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tbsp cinnamon powder
- ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- 50 g (1.7 oz) dark sugar-free chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 4 tomatoes, chopped or 2 heaped tbsp sugar-free tomato paste
Method
- Roast the red chillies, red peppers, pumpkin seeds and whole almonds in a small roasting tray for 5 mins at 210C (400F)
- Add the figs and the roasted chilli mixture into a mixing bowl and cover the ingredients with boiling water. Allow the ingredients to soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Place all the ingredients for the mole sauce into a food processor and blend until they form a sauce.
- Into a large bowl, add the chicken thigh, onions and garlic, and the Mole sauce.
- Drain the liquid from the chilli mixture and discard the water. Add the chilli mixture into the food processor and pulse to form a coarse grind.
- Add these ingredients to the chicken bowl and sprinkle with salt. Using disposable gloves, hand mix all the ingredients till they are well combined. Add the Kombu water and mix again.
- Place the mixture into a pressure cooker and cook on medium to high for 45 mins. Alternatively, you can slow cook in a dutch oven, in an oven set to 150C (300F) for 3-4 hours or until very tender and the chicken falls apart.
- You can keep this dish in the fridge for up to 5 days, where the flavour will improve after 24 hours. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.