Papantla Style Mole Sauce With Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• For the chiles: The day before making the mole, remove the stems and seeds from the chiles; rinse the chiles and pat dry. Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the chiles (in batches if necessary) and fry until glossy, about 4 minutes. Drain and place in a Dutch oven. Cover with 10 cups hot water, then add the vinegar and let stand overnight, covered.
• The next day, drain the chiles, then pat dry and reserve the soaking liquid.
• For the mole sauce: Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the oil and chiles to a wok or a very large saute pan and turn the heat on medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, remove the chiles to a plate, leaving the oil in the wok.
• Add the blanched almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, black peppercorns, anise seeds, cloves and cinnamon stick to the wok and toss to combine and toast, about 2 minutes.
• Grill the tomatoes, corn tortillas, bolillo roll and onion until each are charred on both sides. Remove from the pan and add directly to the toasted spices. Add the cocoa nibs, raisins, Mexican chocolate, mint and parsley and stir to combine, allowing the chocolate to melt.
• Carefully add the wok ingredients to a blender and slowly blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt.
• Pour the sauce into a medium saucepan along with the chicken stock and 1/2 cup reserved chile liquid and turn the heat to medium. Once at a simmer, adjust the seasoning with salt.
• For the wings: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil and place an oven-safe rack on top of the foil. Coat the rack with cooking spray.
• Place the chicken wings in a large bowl along with the oil, cumin and smoked paprika and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the wings until coated. Arrange the chicken wings in a single layer on the rack. Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Place the wings in a very large bowl and cover with the mole sauce. Carefully toss until each wing is evenly coated.
• Add the wings to a platter and top with the parsley and pomegranate seeds.

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons lard in a stockpot. Stir in 1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, poblano peppers, and Anaheim peppers; cook and stir until onions are soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chicken thighs and 4 cups chicken broth, cover, and simmer until reduced, about 40 minutes.
• Heat 2 cups chicken broth in a saucepan until it begins to simmer, about 5 minutes. Pour broth into a blender.
• Toast guajillo chiles and ancho chiles in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until hot and aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Place toasted chiles and tortilla strips in the blender with the hot broth. Press them down so they are fully submerged and soak until softened, about 10 minutes. Blend the chile and tortilla mixture until smooth.
• Cook tomatoes and tomatillos in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until soft and blackened, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Melt 2 tablespoons lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 sliced onion, 5 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; cook and stir until onions are soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Add onion mixture to the blender with the chile mixture and blend until smooth.
• Pour chile puree into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, salt, sugar, and chocolate. Bring mixture to a simmer; cook and stir until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.
• Toast tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and soft, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll and place seam side down on a plate. Continue with remaining tortillas, 3 per plate. Top each trio of tortillas with 1/3 cup mole sauce, 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and 1 to 2 tablespoons queso fresco.

Steps:

• 1. Cook all the chicken pieces in the chicken broth in a large pot until cooked through and tender. Cook the breasts 20 minutes then remove them to a bowl and cover, to prevent overcooking. Remove the thighs about 10 minutes later (or 30 minutes total), and put them in the bowl with the chicken breasts. Keep the broth warm over low heat until added to the sauce. 2. In a medium skillet, toast the anchos until aromatic and slightly blistered. Do not burn. Put the anchos in a medium bowl and cover with hot water. Soak about 20 minutes. 3. Preheat the oven to 325°. In the same skillet used for toasting the anchos, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, tortillas, bread, plantain, cloves, and canela. Cook, stirring, frequently, until the tomatoes soften and the skins blister and char lightly. 4. Transfer the skillet ingredients to a blender. Add 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, the soaked anchos, and the chipotles. Blend until very smooth. Transfer the blended sauce to a large heavy ovenproof pan or casserole dish. 5. Cook, stirring, until the sauce comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. Add the piloncillo and 1 cup of the reserved broth. Cook, stirring, over low heat, until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. The sauce should have the consistency of heavy cream. If too thick, add additional hot broth. Add salt. Add the cooked pieces of chicken to the pan, and transfer to the oven and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside, and the sauce is simmering, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.