Mole Rojo

Name: Mole Rojo
Total time: 350
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 10 cups water; 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; ¼ white onion; 2 dried bay leaves; 6 garlic cloves; 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided; ¼ cup sesame seeds, plus more for garnish; ¼ cup pumpkin seeds; ¼ cup walnuts; ¼ cup almonds; 2 cinnamon sticks; ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds; 2 star anise pods; 4 whole cloves; ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns; 4 whole allspice berries; 10 pitted prunes; ⅓ cup raisins; 1 small bollilo bread, cubed; 1 corn tortilla, diced; 2 dried chiles de arbol; 3 dried ancho chiles; 5 dried chiles moritas; 4 roma tomatoes, halved; ¾ white onion, cut into wedges; 6 garlic cloves; 2 3-ounce rounds Chocolate Abuelitas; ¼ cup brown sugar; ½ cup all-natural smooth peanut butter; kosher salt, to taste

Recipe by Ivanna Lopez Guajardo from tasty.co

Dinner 6 Hr. 50 Mins.

Ingredients

12 servings

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10 cups water
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12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
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¼ white onion
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2 dried bay leaves
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6 garlic cloves
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7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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¼ cup sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
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¼ cup pumpkin seeds
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¼ cup walnuts
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¼ cup almonds
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2 cinnamon sticks
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¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
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2 star anise pods
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4 whole cloves
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¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
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4 whole allspice berries

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10 pitted prunes
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⅓ cup raisins
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1 small bollilo bread, cubed
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1 corn tortilla, diced
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2 dried chiles de arbol
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3 dried ancho chiles
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5 dried chiles moritas
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4 roma tomatoes, halved
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¾ white onion, cut into wedges
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6 garlic cloves
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2 3-ounce rounds Chocolate Abuelitas
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¼ cup brown sugar
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½ cup all-natural smooth peanut butter
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kosher salt, to taste
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cooked Mexican rice, for serving

Instructions

Make the chicken: In a large pot, combine the water, chicken thighs, onion, bay leaves, and garlic. Bring to a boil and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth, reserving both.
Make the mole: In a large pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil, then toast the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, cumin seeds, star anise pods, cloves, black peppercorns, and allspice berries for about 5 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add the prunes and raisins and toast for another 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Transfer the seed mixture to a large bowl.
In the same pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then toast the bread cubes and tortilla until beginning to harden and brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the toasted seeds.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then toast the arbol, ancho, and morita chiles until brightened in color, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to the pan with the toasted seeds and bread.
Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium heat, then char the tomato, onion, and garlic until browned, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to the bowl with the remaining ingredients.
Add all of the toasted ingredients to a blender, along with all of the reserved chicken broth, and blend until very smooth. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium heat, pour the mole into a large pot and cook over low heat for about 2½ hours, or until the sauce has reduced by ½ inch. Then, add the chocolate, brown sugar, peanut butter, and salt and stir until evenly combined. Cook for another 2 hours, or until the mole thickens and darkens to a reddish brown color.
Serve the mole over the chicken thighs and Mexican rice, garnished with more sesame seeds.
Enjoy!