Turn Roast Chicken Into An Easy Mexican Comfort Meal With A Jar Of Mole And 2 Ingredients

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Making a rich, velvety mole, the national dish of Mexico, is usually a long, complex process, but with the proper method and select ingredients, it doesn't have to be time-consuming or complicated. With a store-bought jar of mole paste and two additions, Mexican chocolate and peanut butter (three additions if you count chicken broth or water that's typically added to mole paste) you are able to prepare a delicious, comforting mole dish with roast chicken in just a few simple steps.

The store-bought paste will take the work out of making mole sauce. There are several brands and varieties, but one solid option is Doña María Adobo Mexican Sauce, which sells at Walmart for just under $3 (though the price could vary based on your store location). The paste's ingredients include oil, crackers, chile peppers, sesame seeds, sugar, peanuts, and salt. When combined with peanut butter (a thickener that also contributes a sweet and nutty flavor), and chocolate (a sweetener that also adds a silky texture), the result is a rich, deeply-flavored sauce that requires far less time and effort than preparing mole sauce from scratch.

To prepare this mole dish, just pop mole into a sauce pan, add some chicken broth (or water), a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a serving of Mexican chocolate; you can also choose from a variety of chocolate types (mainly dark) to make mole. Simmer the ingredients for about 15 minutes until the mixture is thickened; then it's ready to slather onto the chicken. You can be flexible in how you serve the chicken with mole; bake a couple of pounds of fresh chicken and top each finished piece with mole sauce alongside a side of rice; or, you can add shredded chicken directly into the sauce.

There are numerous types of mole; variations include regional interpretations and household recipes which differ by spices, types of peppers, and other ingredients. Mole's roots go back to pre-colonial Mexico, where cooks made a variety of ground, chile-based sauces. The term mole comes from a word for sauce in Nahuatl, the language spoken by indigenous Nahua. Later, when Spain established colonies in Mexico, mole makers included variations based on a changing culture and new members of the population arriving with their own ingredients.

Mole sauce can contain dozens of ingredients, each one adding nuance. At its essence, mole is a blend of dried chiles, aromatic spices, chocolate or fruit, plus seeds, nuts, or toasted bread to thicken it. However, choosing different fruits, types of chili peppers, and spices can really alter the flavor. Since there are numerous ingredients you can use to make good Mexican food, like cinnamon or fresh herbs, add them to your mole sauce and let your Mexican comfort meal shine. If you're comfortable trying a variation on the above recipe, consider adding alternate spices or other ingredients to make it your own, or try another flavor variety of jarred mole paste.