Chicken In Quick Mole Sauce
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1¼ pounds), cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo (more or less according to heat preference)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
½ cup prune juice (or ¼ cup chopped pitted prunes)
1¼ cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
Squeeze of lime (1 to 2 teaspoons)
Fresh cilantro, chopped, to serve
Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
In a large saute pan over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the chicken and brown until golden on all sides, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander and cinnamon, then cook, stirring, until very fragrant, another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let cook for 3 more minutes. Add the chipotles, orange zest and prune juice, then cook an additional minute, stirring.
Add the stock and let simmer until the onion is fairly soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool for several minutes. Pour or spoon carefully into a blender, then add the almond butter, chocolate and lime juice. Let sit for a minute in the hot liquid. Blend carefully - low at first, then at higher speed - until the sauce is smooth, about 1 minute. Add more stock if the sauce is too thick.
Return the chicken to the pan (no need to clean it) and pour the sauce over the chicken. Heat over medium until the chicken is cooked through, another 8-10 minutes. Serve with rice and beans and top with cilantro.
Serves four.
Nutrition values per serving: 430 calories, 21 g fat (7 g saturated, 0 trans), 26 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 39 g protein, 105 mg cholesterol, 690 mg sodium.
Melissa d'Arabian for The Associated Press