Sunday, October 26, 2008

Pumpkin Seed Chicken Mole for Trying Times

Pumpkin Seed Mole or Pipian

A typical regional dish from Mexico, this Pipian is a salsa verde based mole thickened with the use of roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) that add depth to the sauce. A relatively inexpensive dish, it is also a healthy alternative with a low fat, low carb content and added fiber thanks to the seeds. Who says that one can't get healthy, inexpensive meals in these trying times? Yes we can! Using exclusively chicken breasts (to reduce the fat content) makes this dish slightly more expensive than using chicken thighs, but at a still affordable $3.70 cents per person!

20 fresh tomatillos, dry skins off, rinsed clean and quartered
1 qt chicken stock
1 qt water
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1/2 bunch of cilantro, rinsed
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
6 chicken thighs, bone in, skinless
3 chicken breasts, skinless, bone in or boneless, as desired
1 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds or pepitas
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Make poaching liquid by mixing the chicken stock and water on a pot with a lid large enough to fit the chicken. Add one bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle all chicken pieces with salt and pepper and once the water has reached a light simmer add all the chicken. Bring the liquid back up to a light simmer, move chicken pieces around and cover pot. Let simmer continue for about 5 minutes, then turn off and let chicken cook, covered, until ready. About 15 minutes or until it reaches 170F. Remove the chicken, cover and set aside. Do not discard cooking liquid to use for the mole sauce.

Make pipian. Add the tomatillos to the poaching liquid once the chicken has been removed. Bring to a boil and cook for about 8 minutes or until tomatillos lose their bright green color to a lightly darker one on all sides. Remove from liquid, do not discard liquid. Blend tomatillos with cilantro, jalapeno, onion, garlic and pumpkin seeds (you may need to do this in batches) until smooth.

Add vegetable oil on a pot large enough to fit the mole and the chicken pieces together. Heat over medium heat and once oil is hot, add the blended mole sauce. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. When ready to serve, add chicken pieces to the pipian sauce just to reheat and serve immediately with sauce over the pieces.

Serves 6

Variations: The pipian may also be served with white rice or the shredded chicken can be added to the pipian sauce and served along warm corn tortillas to make tacos. If no fresh tomatillos are available, and/or for a short-cut, use about 3 cups of prepared salsa verde instead of tomatillos.