Slow cooking the Mexican way - chicken mole

Keith the dog has been busy helping to put the finishing touches to the new kitchen over the weekend.  Not that he has been that helpful but who can be angry with such a cute bundle of furry enthusiasm? :-)
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I've been meaning to write a post about a recipe I recently tried:

Chicken mole

Mexican chicken mole. 

It's a slow cooked dish with a deep rich sauce ("mole") - we had it with tortilla breads and guacamole and it was absolutely delicious!  As with many recipes there are lots and lots of versions for this dish but this one worked well for us.

What intrigued me when I first started looking at the different recipes was the use of dark chocolate in the sauce - it gave a lovely richness to the dish.  And being a slow cook kind of recipe it practically cooks itself whilst you can get on with other stuff :-)



Mexican chicken mole (serves 4)

Ingredients:

a little butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs chicken (I used skinless chicken thighs and legs - tasty & not too expensive)
salt and black pepper
4 tbsp tomato puree
some water (enough to create enough sauce & stop the chicken from sticking to the pot)
a few sun dried tomatoes
2 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped into small pieces
2 - 3 tbsp almond butter
50 grams of dark chocolate (I used one with 85% cocoa content)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Serve with avocado and fresh coriander/cilantro for garnish and tortilla bread or rice

Method:

In a large ovenproof saucepan, add a little butter over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until softened.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan to brown on all sides.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well, making sure that the chicken is covered with the sauce.
Cook in the oven for 4 hours at 100 C*, stirring every now and again and adding more water if needed.
Remove the pot from the oven and either leave the meat on the bone or strip it off - it's up to you.

*Why not dry some fresh herbs such as bay leaf, sage,... at the same time to make the most of the warm oven?  Simply put the herbs on a baking tray and place in the bottom of the oven to dry out.