Chicken Mole Amarillo Recipe
This fresh, flavorful take on the traditional Chicken Mole is the personal creation of Tucson-based chef Suzana Davila.
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Nuttier and less sweet than its chocolate-based cousin, this Chicken Mole recipe is the personal creation of Chef Suzana Davila of Tucson’s Café Poca Cosa. She specializes in these complex sauces, and her recipes are longtime local favorites. Recipe excerpted with permission from Taste of Tucson by Jackie Alpers.
Chicken Mole Amarillo
Serve this dish with tortillas and a pretty salad.
Ingredients
For the mole
- 8 yellow bell peppers
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 yellow tomatoes
- 2 Güero (Caribe) chiles
- ½ cup raw sesame seeds
- 1 cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), plus more for garnish
- 3 cups chicken broth, divided
- 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
- ½ cup chopped white onion
- 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
- 6 6-inch corn tostada shells
- 2 tsp. granulated chicken-flavored bouillon, preferably Knorr brand
For the chicken
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped white onion
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 bay leaf
- Sea salt
- Corn tortillas, for serving
Preparation
- Make mole: Preheat broiler. Place bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and chiles on foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and broil until skins are blackened and charred, about 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove stems, seeds, and skins from peppers, tomatoes, and chiles.
- In dry 12-inch skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds until golden brown, about 2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Remove from skillet and let cool.
- Toast almonds and pepitas in same skillet, until pepitas puff up but do not darken, about 2 minutes; remove the almonds and pepitas from the skillet and let cool. Once cooled, transfer sesame seeds, almonds, and pepitas to food processor or blender. Add 1 cup broth, and blend until smooth.
- Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in same skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and oregano in oil until the onion is tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add puréed nut mixture, and stir well. Reduce heat to low.
- Place roasted peppers, tomatoes, chiles, and 1 cup chicken broth in food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Add to onion-nut mixture in skillet.
- Break tostada shells into pieces, and pulse in food processor or blender with roasted garlic, bouillon, and 1 cup broth. Stir into skillet mixture. Cook mole, stirring often, over low heat for 20–25 minutes. If sauce becomes too thick, add another cup of chicken broth.
- Make Chicken: While mole is simmering, heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in another large skillet over medium heat. Sauté chopped onion, chicken, and bay leaf until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Pour mole over cooked chicken and allow to simmer 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve garnished with pepitas with the tortillas on the side.
Nutrition Information
- Calories 690
- Carbohydrate Content 42 g
- Cholesterol Content 85 mg
- Fat Content 40 g
- Fiber Content 9 g
- Protein Content 44 g
- Saturated Fat Content 6 g
- Sodium Content 730 mg
- Sugar Content 10 g