Chicken With Chocolate Mole Recipe

Mole is the ultimate Mexican sauce layered with big flavors (and sometimes dozens of ingredients) and it usually simmers for hours. Not tonight! This batch is ready in 45 minutes and relies on pantry staples like savory spices (cinnamon, garlic, and cayenne to name a few), rich tomato paste, and dark chocolate to round everything out. Pour it over chicken like we do, spoon it over enchiladas, or even use mole as the base of a hearty black bean chili.

Chicken With Chocolate Mole

Yield: 3 servings
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

6 Thrive Market Chicken Thighs
1 teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Pepper
3 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, divided
1 small onion, grated
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Cumin
½ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Cayenne Pepper
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Tomato Paste
1 cup Thrive Market Organic Chicken Bone Broth
¼ cup Thrive Market Organic Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Creamy Almond Butter
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons Thrive Market Organic Sesame Seeds, toasted
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Season chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Remove and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, chicken stock, chocolate, and almond butter, stirring until chocolate has melted. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer.

Return chicken to skillet and nestle into sauce. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. While chicken rests, increase heat and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Top chicken with sauce. Garnish with sprinkled cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

Recipe credit: Angela Gaines