Easy Chicken Mo-lay
Making real Mexican molé sauce takes hours of grinding spices and nuts and is absolutely divine, but not a possibility for most of us on a busy weeknight. This mock molé, suggested by my friend and Scramble fan Jackie Kelley, is rich and fragrant and the sauce takes only a few minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut up
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, sea salt, or other coarse salt
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 cup salsa (look for brands with no sugar added),
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 chicken-flavored bouillon cube
- 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter or other nut or seed butter
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic minced, about 1 tsp.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the chicken in a large baking dish in a single layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken pieces, season them with the salt and paprika, and put the chicken in the oven, setting the timer for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the remaining ingredients until they are smooth. Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and simmer it for 10 minutes.
- After the chicken has baked for 25 minutes, remove it from the oven and pour enough sauce over it to coat it, reserving about ½ cup sauce for serving.
- Return the chicken to the oven for 8 - 10 minutes or until it is cooked through. Serve it immediately, refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Slow Cooker Directions
- Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine sauce ingredients in blender as per directions, and pour over chicken, reserving about 1/2 cup sauce for serving. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. (Slow cooker cooking times may vary—Get to know your slow cooker and, if necessary, adjust cooking times accordingly.)
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Cut up the chicken, if necessary, combine the dry seasonings, make the sauce.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Double the garlic and cinnamon, use spicy salsa, and/or use hot Mexican or chipotle chili powder.
Tip: In addition to being delicious on chicken, molé sauce is also excellent on meat or vegetables, or drizzled on top of enchiladas or other Mexican-inspired dishes. You can double the sauce called for in this recipe and enjoy it the rest of the week.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 305, Total Fat: 22g, 33.5%; Saturated Fat: 1g, 4.5%; Cholesterol: 95mg, 31%; Sodium: 616mg, 21%; Total Carbohydrate: 6g, 2%; Dietary Fiber: 2g, 8%; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 21g
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