Chicken Mole-style rich chocolate chilli chicken

Ingredients

Mole sauce

• 3 dried ancho chillies
• 2 dried guajillo chillies
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 30 g sesame seeds, toasted
• 30 g almonds
• 30 g raisins
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 20 g dark chocolate
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 500 ml chicken stock

Chicken

• 6 chicken thigh fillets
• Salt + black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• To serve: steamed rice, warm tortillas, sesame seeds

Method

1. Toast chillies. Toast dried chillies in a dry pan 30 seconds each side. Soak in hot water 15 minutes.
2. Blend. Blend chillies (drained, stems removed) with onion, garlic, sesame, almonds, raisins, spices, peanut butter, tomatoes, stock until smooth.
3. Strain. Push through a sieve into a pan. Add chocolate. Simmer 30 minutes until thick.
4. Chicken. Season. Sear in olive oil until golden, 4 minutes per side.
5. Combine. Submerge chicken in the mole. Simmer 25 minutes, lid on.
6. Serve. With rice, tortillas, extra sesame seeds.

Tips

• Toast the chillies first. That’s where the depth comes from.
• Sesame seeds toasted in the mole. Don’t skip. The nutty flavour matters.
• Chocolate + peanut butter. Sounds odd. It’s the mole secret.