OK, so I am a sucker for traditional Mexican food. Born just 17 miles from the Mexcian border, I have been enjoying the foods of this great country since a was a little one. I can remember like it was yesterday the family trips to Estero Beach, the roadside tacos and the great homemade ice cream. The food, along with the horseback rides along the estero is what I remember most.

Fast forward 20 or so years and I am in Huatulco, a new (at that time) Fonatur resort along Oaxaca's Pacific coast. I found this little traditional Oaxacan restaurant that offered not only pulque (a fermented drink that comes from the Maguey or Mezcal plant) but one of the best traditional red Oaxacan moles I have ever tasted. I think I ate at this restaurant 5 of 7 nights. If you are looking for one of the best red Oaxacan mole recipes on the Internet, you my friend have just found it.

Please link to this site if you own a blog and have enjoyed this recipe...cheers!

Red Oaxacan Chicken Mole

Printable version of this Chicken mole recipe (word doc).

Ingredients:

1 4-5# fryer chicken, fricassee

3 – Dried pasilla chilies, stemmed and seeded

3 Dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded

2 New Mexico chilies, stemmed and seeded

1 – Chile de arbol (opt)

½ - Onion, chopped

3 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and seeded

½ cup pecans, toasted

1 corn tortilla, dried out and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2t – Cinnamon

1t – Allspice

3 – Whole cloves

3T – Ground Guittard chocolate, sweetened

Sea salt to taste

3c – Chicken stock

1. Soak the seeded and de-stemmed chilies in hot water for 20 minutes, or until they have softened.
2. Grill the onion and the tomatoes until slightly charred. Reserve.
3. Place the onion, tomatoes, garlic, spices, 2t salt and ½ c of the stock into a food processor and puree. While pureeing, add the chilies a small amount at a time.
4. Once all of the chilies have been added, continue to puree until a smooth, thick paste has formed. This will take 10 minutes or so and a small addition of stock. Add salt to taste and reserve.
5. To serve – heat 2T of oil in a high sided sauce pot or Dutch oven. Add the paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the paste does not burn. Add the chocolate and the rest of the stock and the chicken fricassee and reduce the flame to medium low. Cover and stew for ½ hour, or until the chicken begins to fall from the bone.
6. You may need to add a small amount of water to correct the consistency, if so please remember to adjust your seasoning (salt).
7. Place the chicken and some of the mole sauce on a platter and serve.

Chefs tip:

Try serving this dish with papas fritas and espárrago asado (fried potatoes and roasted asparagus).

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