Most of us have kitchen cupboards stocked with obscure jars or cans of this and that, items that speed preparation of our particular favorite dishes. For me, one constant is a jar of mole paste.
Though I’ve enjoyed many delicious, complex from-scratch versions of this Mexican sauce in restaurants, I’ve been content to let accomplished chefs grind the peppers and mix the spices. I’m not saying I will never attempt an authentic, homemade version. Just that when I want a quick version at home, I reach for that jar.
It takes just chicken broth and peanut butter to turn that thick paste into a sauce (and the extra keeps forever in the fridge). I like to stir in more broth than the package directions suggest, for a sauce that gilds pieces of roast shredded chicken instead of merely resting atop.
In a nonauthentic twist, instead of serving the chicken mole with tortillas, I spoon it over corn in another form: polenta – instant, in this case, another vital item in the pantry.
• TIPS
Pick up a rotisserie chicken to shred for the recipe. Save the rest for other meals and the carcass for broth.
For the peanut butter, choose a natural brand that is all peanuts, with maybe a little salt, but no added sugar. Use creamy for a smoother sauce.
Chicken Mole
Prep: 5 minutes. Cook: 25 minutes. Makes: 4 servings
3 cups water
1 cup instant polenta
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup jarred dark mole paste
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 cooked chicken breast halves, shredded in long strips
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Heat the water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add the polenta and salt. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Cover saucepan and keep warm.
Heat the broth to a simmer in a separate saucepan; add the mole paste, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and stirring it into the broth until it is dissolved to form a sauce. Stir in the peanut butter until it dissolves. The sauce should thicken but still be pretty liquid. Taste for flavor; the sauce should not taste bitter. Add more peanut butter if you like.
Stir in the chicken to coat the pieces; simmer on low so the sauce permeates the meat, 10 minutes. Serve the chicken and sauce over the polenta, garnished with chopped cilantro.
Per serving: 445 calories, 16 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 37 mg cholesterol, 47 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 952 mg sodium, 6 g fiber
