Chicken in Mole Verde
Chef Suzana Davila’s Mole Verde is thickened with tortilla bits, seeds, and nuts. Chilies, tomatillos, cilantro,and lettuce give it bright green color. Chef Davila serves shredded chicken on a bed of spinach and cilantro, then covers it with mole verde.
Ingredients
- Mole Verde
- Vegetable oil - for frying tortillas
- Corn tortillas - 6
- Corn Oil - 2 teaspoons
- Sesame seeds - 1 cup (about 5 ounces)
- Pumpkin Seeds - 1/2 cup, hulled, raw
- Whole Almonds - 1/3 cup, blanched
- Pistachios - 1 cup, shelled
- Garlic Cloves - 4 large
- Poblano Chilies - 3, fresh, seeded and chopped
- Serrano Chili - 1, roasted and seeded
- Tomatillos - 1/2 pound, husked and chopped
- Cilantro (coriander) - 1 large bunch, fresh, washed and dried
- Lettuce - 1/2 head, shredded
- Safflower Oil - 3 tablespoons
- Chicken Stock - 4 cups
- Cooked chicken - 3 pounds, shredded (alt. turkey, or pork)
- Onion - 1 large, halved and cut into large slices
- Safflower Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Spinach - 2 bunches, fresh, cleaned and stemmed
- Cilantro - 3 bunches, fresh, cleaned and stemmed
Instructions
To make the mole verde: In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1/4-inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the tortillas in batches until golden brown on both sides; transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Cool the tortillas and break into pieces.
Heat the corn oil in a 10- or 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat and stir in the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and pistachios. Toast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
In a food processor, blend the garlic, chilies, tomatillos, cilantro, lettuce, oil, and tortilla pieces with 2 to 2-1/2 cups of stock, until the mixture forms a thick paste. Add half the seed-nut mixture to the sauce and pulse to combine. Do not puree; the sauce should have a lot of texture. Put the sauce in a large saucepan or pot and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the remaining stock and cook 3 more minutes.
To serve: Put the chicken and onions in a large saute pan or skillet with the safflower oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the chicken is warmed through and the onions are softened. Make a bed of spinach and cilantro on three-fourths of each serving plate. Pile chicken and onions in the remaining space. Spoon mole verde over the chicken, covering it completely. Garnish with the remaining seed-nut mixture.
