Mexican Mole Chicken

Mexican mole is a complex mix of many flavors and comes in a rainbow of colors. When The Chef goes to Tijuana a favorite stop is a stall market off the main drag of Avenida Revolucion with a mryiad of moles in clear plastic hampers ready to be scooped out. These pastes of green, red and dark brown are intensely flavored with spices, nuts and chocolate. Most restaurant moles are of the dark brown variety.

This Chef picked up a small ready-to-use jar on sale at his local Latin market for $1.99 - you get about 8 servings out of an eight ounce jar, so this mole fits the budget. Use your favorite discounted cuts of chicken. The store-bought brand of Dona Maria has a peanut/chocolate flavor with a slight spicy chile bite and is quite tasty. This is a one-pot dish that tastes better reheated the next day and goes well with rice and a salad.

Ingredients (serves 3 - 4)

• 1/2 of an 8 oz. jar of mole
• 3-4 chicken quarters or chicken breasts (skin on or off)
  1 1/2 cups of water or broth
  Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large deep pan or pot, dissolve and mix mole into hot water. Add chicken and bake uncovered for 2 hours (breast meat needs less time, about 1 1/2 hours, just pierce meat with a fork; juices should run clear). Remove and place on stove top. Spoon out as much grease as possible. Heat mole and chicken for about 15 minutes on the stove top at a low simmer. Reduce by half to thicken. Serve with white or brown rice to help soak up all the delicious mole.