Mind-Blowing Mexican Chocolate Chicken Mole 

Holy Mole, this is good!

Pronounced Mo-lay (like olé), this authentic mexican classic is wonderfully comforting and rich, whilst being incredibly healthy and packed full of protein and antioxidants! A perfect winter warmer, full of flavour, filling protein and slow-releasing carbs – this is a surefire hit.

If you’re a fan of chilli con carne and mexican flavours, you’ll love this dark, sweet and spicy South American stew with chillies, nuts and chocolate… trust us on this one, it’s a winner! To make this recipe a little healthier, we used our incredible Cacao Almond butter for the perfect balance of antioxidant-rich cacao and roasted nut flavour  – without any added sugar or extra fat sneaking in!This recipe makes great use of cheaper, tasty cuts of chicken such as thighs or legs (which are used in the traditional recipe), however we remove the skin before cooking to cut right down on the fat content. If you aren’t a fan of brown meat, chicken breast would work fine. 

This one-pot-wonder couldn’t be simpler to make, it can be cooked on the hob top for two hours or left to work its magic in a slow cooker for 8 hours. The choice is yours! We’ll give you methods for both options below:

What you’ll need:

• a large 5-6 litre slow cooker or large casserole pan. 

Ingredients:

• 1.8-2kg chicken thighs and/or legs – skin removed. 
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt 
• 60ml water 
• 50g TPW Cacao Almond Butter
• 40g raisins 
• 1 tbsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 4 crushed garlic cloves 
• 1 small-medium onion, chopped 
• 1-2 fresh chillies, finely chopped (use one and remove the seeds if you’re not a spice fan)
• 2 tbsp chipotle paste
• Juice of 1 lime 
• Sesame seeds (to serve)

Slow Cooker Method: 

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker or large pan.
2. Add all remaining ingredients, along with 60ml water to a food processor and blitz until smooth. 
3. Coat the chicken with the mixture, cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the chicken is tender. 
4. Serve with whole grain rice and/or tortillas, sprinkle with sesame seeds and dig in!

Hob Top Method:

1. Heat 2tbsp of sunflower/rapeseed oil in a flameproof casserole pan, season chicken and add to the pan. 
2. Brown the chicken on all sides, you may have to do this is batches depending on the size of your dish. Remove chicken to a plate once browned. 
3. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until softened, add the fresh chillies and cook for a further minute. 
4. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute more, until aromatic. 
5. Put the onion and chilli mix into a food processor with 60ml water, the raw garlic and raisins. Blitz into a paste, then add the Cacao Almond Butter, chipotle paste, tomatoes and pulse once more until evenly mixed. Fill the tomato empty tomato tin with water to use in the next step.
6. Tip the contents back into the casserole pan and add the water from the tomato tin. 
7. Return the chicken back to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
8. After 1 hour, remove the chicken onto a plate. Use 2 forks to shred the meat and discard any bones. Return the chicken meat back to the sauce and continue cooking, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. If your sauce looks like it’s getting a little bit too thick, add a little more water. 
9. Prepare your rice and/or tortillas (or anything else you fancy serving this with). 
10. Remove the mole from the heat, serve up and top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Delish! 

Top Tips:

Tip #1. If you can bring yourself to leave any in the pot, Mole makes an amazing leftover lunch and tastes even better the next day! 

Tip #2. A fantastic way to use up leftover roast chicken and you can easily bulk this recipe out with chickpeas or lentils if you are low on chicken.

Tip #3. You can also make this recipe in bulk as it freezes very well. 

Tip #4. Veggie or vegan? Simply sub the chicken stock with vegetable stock and replace the chicken with chickpeas, jackfruit, beans or lentils to make a super-delicious plant-based alternative! 

What You’ll Need

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