CHICKEN-MOLE-1(M)        USENET Cookbook        CHICKEN-MOLE-1(M)

QUICK CHICKEN MOLE

     CHICKEN-MOLE-1 - a microwave version of mole poblano

     Mole Poblano (pronounced MOE-lay puh-BLAH-no) is the kind of
     Mexican cooking one doesn't often find in restaurants out-
     side of Mexico.  It consists of chicken in a dark, spicy
     sauce full of nuts and sesame seeds.  All of the traditional
     mole recipes I've seen require several hours of preparation
     and cooking time, so I developed this version for those of
     us who have only limited time for cooking.  It takes about
     an hour to put together.

INGREDIENTS (serves four)
     1         medium onion, chopped (or 1/2 large onion)
     1         clove minced
     2 Tbsp    butter
     1         bay leaf
     6         peppercorns
     3         whole cloves, crushed
     8 oz      tomato sauce
     1 cup     chicken broth
     1 slice   bread, shredded
     1/4 tsp   crushed anise seeds
     1/2 tsp   cinnamon
     1 Tbsp    sugar
     3-4 Tbsp  ground chile (approximately; see note below)
     2 Tbsp    sesame seeds
     1/2 cup   slivered blanched almonds
     1 1/2 oz  Mexican chocolate, grated (see note). This is a
               half circle in the usual packaging.
     1         chicken, cut up (about 3 pounds)

PROCEDURE
          (1)  Put the onion, garlic, and margarine in a large
               (3-quart) microwavable, covered casserole.  Cover
               and microwave on half power for 2-3 minutes, or
               until butter is melted and the onion is starting
               to soften.

          (2)  Mix in the rest of the ingredients except the cho-
               colate and the chicken.  Cover and microwave on
               high for 10 minutes, stirring after half the time.
               When the sauce is done, stir in the chocolate
               until it's melted.

          (3)  Add the chicken, coating each piece with sauce.
               Microwave covered, on high power for about 30
               minutes.  Rearrange the pieces twice during cook-
               ing so it cooks evenly.  The chicken is done when
               it starts to fall away from the bone.

NOTES
     My microwave puts out 650 watts on high power and has a
     turntable in it.  You'll probably have to stir things more
     often if yours doesn't have a turntable.  If your microwave
     is rated at less than 600 watts, it's probably too small to
     fit the chicken in anyway.

     Use pure ground chile, not "chile powder" (which usually
     contains other ingredients).  The stuff I use comes in lit-
     tle plastic bags, and they keep it in the Mexican food sec-
     tion of the store instead of the spice section.  The hotness
     of the chile can vary considerably, so the most reliable
     procedure is to mix in a little at a time, tasting the sauce
     as you go along.  Mole is supposed to be spicy, not scorch-
     ingly hot; a blend of mild chiles gives the best flavor.  I
     usually use about 2 Tbsp mild Pasilla chile and another 2
     Tbsp medium hot California chile.

     Mexican chocolate comes in round tablets about 3 inches in
     diameter.  If you can't find any in the grocery store, use a
     piece of a dark chocolate candy bar (or semi-sweet chocolate
     chips) instead, and add an additional 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

     You can substitute pine nuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, or
     raisins for all or part of the almonds.

     In theory, you can cook this on top of the stove in a Dutch
     oven in the traditional style, although I've never tried it
     myself.  Judging by the recipes I've seen, you should simmer
     the chicken in water for about an hour first, then make the
     sauce and cook the chicken in the sauce for another half
     hour.

RATING
     Difficulty: easy to moderate.  Time: 30 minutes preparation,
     30 minutes cooking.  Precision: Approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR
     Sandra Loosemore
     Evans and Sutherland Computer Company, Salt Lake City Utah
     {decwrl,utah-gr!uplherc}!esunix!loosemor
     loosemore@utah-20
     Path: decwrl!recipes
     From: bob@felix.UUCP (Bob Statsinger)
     Newsgroups: mod.recipes
     Subject: RECIPE: Killer mole sauce
     Message-ID: 
     Date: 20 Jun 86 03:36:22 GMT
     Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM
     Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
     Lines: 53
     Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

                Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
     Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted
     provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial
     advantage, the USENET copyright notice and the title of the newsgroup and
     its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of
     the USENET Community Trust or the original contributor.