Category:
Appetizers
Recipe by Lucinda Hutson for a Day of the Dead celebration
The aroma of this mole simmering on the stove will surely bring the departed spirits home! Prepared mole paste can be found at Mexican groceries, but you still may want to adjust flavorings, to taste. For a spicier mole, add more chilies; for a sweeter one, add more chocolate, nuts, seeds or grated piloncillo. Serve this chicken mole mounded on large or small crispy tostadas and garnish generously.
Easy
Holy Mole (Chicken Tostadas with Fragrant Mole Sauce)
For the mole:
1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided from above)
2 corn tortillas
2 ancho chilies seeded and stemmed
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cups slivered almonds
1 8.25 oz jar of prepared mole
4 tomatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
1 ounces Mexican chocolate, grated
1 ounces dark chocolate, grated
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups rich chicken stock
Salt, to taste
For the chicken:
1 large chicken (roasted or rotisserie)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Red and green onions, to taste
Cilantro, to taste
For the garnishes:
Sliced radishes
Chopped red onion or green onions
Sprigs of cilantro
Pickled jalapeno slices
Toasted sesame seeds
Holy Mole (Chicken Tostadas with Fragrant Mole Sauce) Directions
For the chicken:
Roast a large chicken, or purchase a cooked rotisserie chicken.
Shred the meat and toss in a bowl with salt, pepper, cayenne, chopped red and green onions and cilantro, to taste. Set aside or chill until serving.
For the mole:
Heat ¼ cup of the vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the tortillas until crisp and golden. Drain off excess oil.
Quickly fry the chilies on both sides BUT DO NOT BURN—this takes only a few seconds.
On a hot comal or skillet, briefly toast the sesame seeds—turning often so they won’t burn. Cool the seeds and toast the almonds the same way.
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, grind the fried tortillas, chilies, sesame seeds (reserving a few teaspoons for garnish) and almonds.
Add the mole paste, tomatoes, peanut butter, chocolate and cinnamon.
Grind, adding enough chicken stock to form a thick sauce. Add salt, and adjust the flavorings, to taste.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pot.
Add the mole mixture and cook for about 8 minutes—stirring constantly to prevent sticking, and adding remaining stock, as needed, to form the consistency of gravy.
Add the shredded chicken to the mole and heat just until warm.
Mound the chicken mole on tostadas, garnish and serve on a platter or on individual plates.
