Chicken Tomatillo Sauce with Mole Chile
Submitted by obtuse
Wok-seared chicken in a smoky tomatillo-mole sauce with roasted garlic, chipotle, and coffee. Served over egg noodles with jalapeño Jack cheese and a fresh platter of jicama, cucumber, and radishes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThis is Mexican cooking with layers you can taste one at a time.
Chicken breast gets seasoned with a spice blend and seared in a screaming hot wok until slightly charred. Bell peppers and mushrooms follow.
The sauce is where it gets interesting: tomatillo, hot chilies, roasted onion and a whole head of roasted garlic, chipotle pepper, tomato, and brewed coffee all meld together with mole paste into something deeply smoky, earthy, and complex.
Lemon zest and fresh cilantro brighten the finish, and jalapeño Jack cheese melts over the top of hot egg noodles.
Serve it alongside a colorful spread of jicama sticks, cucumber spears, radishes, and orange slices for a meal that covers every flavor and texture.
Chef Tips
- Roast the onion and garlic ahead of time in a foil packet; they keep well in the fridge for a few days
- The coffee adds depth and bitterness that balances the sweetness of the tomatillo; don’t skip it
- Thin the sauce with broth as it simmers to reach your preferred consistency
- The condiment platter isn’t just garnish; the cool, crunchy vegetables are essential for balancing the heat
Ingredients
Directions
To roast onion and garlic, peel and trim the onion; slice the head of garlic to expose the cloves.
Roast in a oven, sealed in an aluminum foil packet, spray (optionally) with a olive oil, until aromatic.
Trim the chicken breast of fat.
Slice it along the grain diagonally; then cut into strips.
Season with black pepper and your choice of a Mexican spice blend (such as Cre-ole Spice Blend, posted previously).
Spray a wok lightly; heat the wok to sear and slightly char the chicken.
When no longer pink ad the bell peppers and mushrooms.
Make a well in the wok’s center and add the sauce item in the order list.
When the mole paste blends with the sauce liquids, stir to combine all.
Make about 1 to 1¼ cups of the sauce: Add water and/or broth to thin the sauce as it siimmers.
Taste and adjust lemon and/or pepper. Stir in chopped fresh cilantro and spoon stew over the hot cooked noodles; then sprinkle with Jalapeno Jack cheese.
Serve with zucchini steamed with orange zest and thyme; boiled potato wedges, well drained; condiments.
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