Mole is a type of sauce that makes up many Mexican dishes and is said to have originated in Puebla or Oaxaca. Traditionally, it is a rather labor-intensive dish, as there are many ingredients involved that require some prep work: toasting, crushing and blending imagine doing all that by hand! We love the unique taste of mole and decided to try to simplify the process by making it in a slow cooker. We were thrilled to find out that you get the same amazing flavor without the hassle of all the preparation if you’ve got some Mexican-food enthusiasts in your house, they will love this chicken mole and will be so impressed that you made it! (And you can let them think you spent all day making it!)
Slow Cooker Chicken Mole
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 10-12 chicken thighs
- 1 (28 oz.) can whole, peeled tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed
- 1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 ripe plaintain, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup Mexican chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- kosher salt, to taste
Directions
- Season chicken liberally with salt and place in a 5-6-quart slow cooker.
- In batches if necessary, place tomatoes, onion, ancho and chipotle chiles, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic, plaintain, raisins, chocolate, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, oregano and oil in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Pour mixture on top of chicken in slow cooker and add brown sugar. Stir together.
- Cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 4), or until chicken is tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Transfer chicken and sauce to serving plates, garnish with sesame seeds and serve with rice.
Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking