A Mexican style rich stew with chicken, lots of vegetables, spices, tomatoes, chiles, sesame seeds, cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate. An Instant Pot (easy pressure cooker) produces succulent ingredients.
A stovetop recipe too!
Many moles pronounced (MOE- lay) have over 20 ingredients in the sauce alone (I’ve simplified a bit) – the bitter-sweetness of the chocolate subtly counteracts the spiciness of the peppers.
A unique blend of spices – turns into a rich and complex mole sauce after a short simmer in an Instant Pot.
Aromatic Mexican Chicken Mole, all prepared in your modern pressure cooker.
Simmered in a dark tomato-chile sauce with a hint of chocolate. Kind of addicting!
Cooking mole chicken in an Instant Pot has one important benefit – chicken, vegetables and mole sauce help each other get more flavorful! Since chicken cooks in mole sauce… it enhances the flavor of mole and at the same time chicken also picks up flavor from the mole sauce. And – you can add lots of healthy vegetables to the mix – a true one pot meal.
I’ve added some chick peas, but you can also add some beans you like. The dish cooks quickly, the chickpeas added at the end, so they will not be too soft.
Sauté cubes of seasoned boneless chicken thighs in the Instant Pot… the “sauté” function is amazing – heat wonderfully…only one-pot cooking! The rest of the ingredients are added, stirred and set to “Pressure Cook – High” for 8 minutes (total cooking time.) The machine does take a little bit to pressurize. When the pot beeps – it’s ready! Carefully set to “Quick Release” – uncover, add the garbanzo beans and let cool and thicken.
Serve in individual bowls with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions and sliced jalapeños if you like.
Can a mole recipe be healthy?
With not too much oil, the dish is simmered in a dark tomato chile sauce, many piquant spices, with a hint of cocoa and bittersweet chocolate.
88% chocolate has a very small amount of added sugar – I have used a non-GMO brand: Endangered Species.
Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, pigments found in many vegetables and fruits. These act as antioxidants helping to neutralize artery-clogging free radicals. There also is some evidence that dark chocolate can reduce blood clots much like the effect of aspirin. This recipe contains 2 tablespoons of bittersweet chocolate for 4 portions.
What we are learning about “heat” (spicy chilis): Chili peppers can reduce the damaging effects of LDL (bad cholesterol) and capsaicin may fight inflammation, which has been flagged as a risk factor for heart issues.
I’m always adding extra antioxidant vegetables to my recipes, and this one has 2 3/4 cups!
1 tablespoon of almond butter lends the right amount of nutty flavor, and thickens the mole sauce.
Enjoy!
Karen