Main Dish
Mole Chicken with Jicama Slaw
Pech Merle Winery
21001 Geyserville Avenue
Geyserville, CA 95441
pechmerlewinery.com
- RECIPE YEAR: 2015
- RECIPE BY: Vintage Valley Catering
- YIELD: Serves 4
- PAIRS WELL WITH: Rockpile AVA Rocky Ridge Zinfandel
A dark, rich chocolaty mole originating from the mountains of Oaxaca tops succulent chicken on a bed of mouthwatering jicama slaw. This pairs perfectly with the dark and briary spice of our Rockpile AVA Rocky Ridge Zinfandel. Olé mole at Peche Merle. We discovered the impressive 7 moles of Oaxaca on our honeymoon, and we tried them all . . . why not? Exuberance and experimentation were in the air!
Mole Chicken
Ingredients:
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 dinner rolls, torn into pieces
- 2 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
- 2 tablespoons smoked Mexican chile powder
- 2 tomatoes, halved crosswise
- 5 tomatillos, halved crosswise
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 sweet Maui onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 head garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 6 whole allspice berries
- 5 ounces dark Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 baked or grilled chicken thighs
Directions:
To make the mole, in a dry fry pan over medium heat, toast the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles and chipotle chiles, stirring constantly, until warm and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Pour 2 cups of the broth into a blender and add the chiles. In a dry fry pan over medium heat, toast the dinner roll pieces and tortilla strips, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the blender with the broth and chiles and add the chile powder. Allow the chiles and toasted bread and tortillas to soak, fully submerged, in the broth until softened, about 10 minutes, then blend until smooth. In a dry fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the tomatoes and tomatillos, turning once, until soft and blackened, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the blender with the chile puree. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the onion, garlic, peanuts, raisins, cumin seeds, thyme, cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice berries. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and other whole spices and discard. Add the onion mixture to the blender with the chile-tomato mixture and blend until smooth. Pour the chile puree into a large saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir in the chocolate, the remaining 1 cup broth, the granulated sugar and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. For the smoothest texture, strain the mole through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Pour over 6 baked or grilled chicken thighs; the sauce will cover them generously.
Jicama Slaw
Ingredients:
- 1 small jicama, about 1 1/4 pounds, peeled and julienned
- 1 large red bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced
- 1/2 head red cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
- 1/2 red onion, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon grated palm sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions:
To make the slaw, in a large bowl, toss together the jicama, red and green bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, onion and cilantro. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt, black pepper, palm sugar, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the slaw and toss. Serve alongside the mole chicken and garnish with cilantro.