Last Saturday, a small basket of local tomatillos was laying artfully on a table stand at the Urban Harvest Farmer’s market. Instantly, I was transported to the mole cooking lesson Chef Hugo Ortega had kindly given me this spring, upon my request, at his beautiful downtown restaurant Xochi.
45 Min
DF
GF
Green Mole Chicken
Mole is a family of sauces in Mexico. The word mole (pronounced MOH-lay) comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec Empire and one of the largest indigenous languages in Mexico. Meandering through the kitchen reciting childhood stories, cracking little jokes, Hugo shared his vast knowledge with ease and confidence.
I have yet to try the multi-step deeply complex and delicious mole negro he made in front of my eyes, but as the weather cools, I know I’ll be playing with a few versions. I did pick up that basket of tomatillos and made this verdant green mole chicken. The recipe is a little complicated, but well worth the work. Half the tomatillos are suspended whole in the sauce, and the other half are pureed into the mix. I used copious amounts of olive oil, more than the recipe calls for.
Last Saturday, a small basket of local tomatillos was laying artfully on a table stand at the Urban Harvest Farmer’s market. Instantly, I was transported to the mole cooking lesson Chef Hugo Ortega had kindly given me this spring, upon my request, at his beautiful downtown restaurant Xochi.
Mole is a family of sauces in Mexico. The word mole (pronounced MOH-lay) comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec Empire and one of the largest indigenous languages in Mexico. Meandering through the kitchen reciting childhood stories, cracking little jokes, Hugo shared his vast knowledge with ease and confidence.
I have yet to try the multi-step deeply complex and delicious mole negro he made in front of my eyes, but as the weather cools, I know I’ll be playing with a few versions. I did pick up that basket of tomatillos and made this verdant green mole chicken. The recipe is a little complicated, but well worth the work. Half the tomatillos are suspended whole in the sauce, and the other half are pureed into the mix. I used copious amounts of olive oil, more than the recipe calls for.
Cook Time
45 Minutes + rest time
Serves
4
Directions
Step 1
In a large Dutch oven, warm half the olive oil. When it is hot and shimmering, add the cumin seeds. They will pop and sizzle. Immediately add the onions. Lower the heat to medium and braise the onions for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are light golden brown. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside to cool.
Step 2
Heat the Dutch oven again and add the remaining olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and the potatoes. Cook over high heat until the chicken and potatoes are browned on all sides, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and cinnamon sticks.
Step 3
Rough-chop half the tomatillos and the ginger. To make the mole sauce, combine the onions, chopped tomatillos, pumpkin seeds (reserving a small amount for garnish), serrano peppers, ginger, cilantro, parsley and 1/2 cup of water in a blender. Puree until smooth.
Step 4
Add the mole sauce to the chicken along with the remaining whole tomatillos. Simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the stew rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and serve.
Notes & Variations
- Instead of using skin-on chicken in the stew, I rendered the fat from the skin and put it back into the stew. The crispy chicken skin was snapped up by my kitchen crew for snacks.
- Leave all the stems on the cilantro. For parsley, remove the bottom 3 inches of the stems.
- This mole sauce can be made on its own and served with vegetables, seafood or other meats.
Ingredients
Step 1
In a large Dutch oven, warm half the olive oil. When it is hot and shimmering, add the cumin seeds. They will pop and sizzle. Immediately add the onions. Lower the heat to medium and braise the onions for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are light golden brown. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside to cool.
Step 2
Heat the Dutch oven again and add the remaining olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and the potatoes. Cook over high heat until the chicken and potatoes are browned on all sides, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and cinnamon sticks.
Step 3
Rough-chop half the tomatillos and the ginger. To make the mole sauce, combine the onions, chopped tomatillos, pumpkin seeds (reserving a small amount for garnish), serrano peppers, ginger, cilantro, parsley and 1/2 cup of water in a blender. Puree until smooth.
Step 4
Add the mole sauce to the chicken along with the remaining whole tomatillos. Simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the stew rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and serve.
Notes & Variations
- Instead of using skin-on chicken in the stew, I rendered the fat from the skin and put it back into the stew. The crispy chicken skin was snapped up by my kitchen crew for snacks.
- Leave all the stems on the cilantro. For parsley, remove the bottom 3 inches of the stems.
- This mole sauce can be made on its own and served with vegetables, seafood or other meats.
Tags:
45 Min
DF
GF
Tags:
45 Min
DF
GF
WOULDN'T WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE...
..but deep in the heart of the south!
