Hoorah! That is the actual sound that left my lips after the first bite. Why? My love for peanut butter is clear, but Peanut-Butter-Boy devotees know of my love for Mexican cuisine and the desire to incorporate peanut butter into a Mexican dish.
As of yet I have barely tried to combine the two but I do believe it is possible and potentially delicious. Running with a suggestion from a commenter whose Mexican family makes their Chicken Mole with peanut butter instead of chocolate led me to discover this delightful recipe! The original recipe was an advertisement for Jif peanut butter. The recipe called for citrus cilantro rice as a side, but instead I served it with a side of Edamame Bulgur and ate it with the best-ever tortilla chips. I highly recommend you give this dish a go, not just because it’s a Mexican/peanut butter fusion but because how often do you get to eat chocolate and peanut butter for dinner?
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2 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
2t chili powder
2T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4t cinnamon
1T honey
Instructions:
1. Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and cook chicken over medium-high heat. Once cooked through, remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
2. Spray more cooking spray in the skillet and cook the onions until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. If you’re a chunk-o-phob (new word?), the sauce may be pureed at this point. Add chicken to the sauce and cook, uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream, if desired, and enjoy!
Additional Info:
From what I hear, there are hundreds of varieties of mole sauce in Mexico and you’ll never have the same one twice. Along the same lines, you can customize this dish to taste, some like it spicy, others like it sweet. Experiment with the peanut butter, cocoa, chili powder and honey quantities as you see fit. The dish is outstanding, especially with the tortilla chips, and if you prepare it be sure to comment and describe your own twist on it!
One suggestion I have is to substitute 1oz of grated dark chocolate for the cocoa powder. Next time I make this I plan on using pork tenderloin instead of chicken. And while this recipe is not authentic, it is a lot faster than a traditional mole sauce. This whole dish, start to finish, can take as little as 30 minutes to prepare.
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this looks disturbingly tasty
That looks sinful yet hearty!
Heh. Sounds like a sure-fire winner to me. Chocolate and PB in one dish? Mexican? With tortillas? Hell, yeah!
You brought back some good memories with this post. My nana used to make mole on special occasions, and there was nothing I loved more than eating it with a fresh corn tortilla!
I love mole, but I’ve never had it with peanut butter, though one of the (almost 100) original ingredients must be peanuts, right? Lol I really don’t know but it sounds really interesting. You should try it with Mexican rice and homemade corn tortillas. OOOOh, that is heaven! Hehe
Can’t go wrong with peanut butter and Mexican cuisine!
You had me at “chocolate and peanut butter for dinner”.
I’ve never had chicken mole before but I do love Mexican food, and this recipe looks really great! It has been added to my list of recipes to try:)
wow, i pb and choc for dinner! i shall give this a try ;)
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at Mole, but my man’s eloquently raised eyebrows always got in the way. This looks great, Nick! Very clever of you to sneak in the peanut butter :)
So my local Whole Foods just started selling the new Larabar flavors, and one of them is Peanut Butter Cookie – I totally thought of you when I decided to purchase it, haha :0) Have you seen it/tried it yet??
Chocolate, peanut butter and chilies! What a great combination!
That sounds really good. What a combination!
I too am a lover of Mexican cusine. This looks so yummy!
This looks so good!
Yum, I just love mole!
ur so darn inventive…
i’m getting some fresh mole in mexico when i go in a few weeks.
Flutter, Such kind words =)
AForkful, Booyah!
Ari, I hear ya. My girlfriends Nana’s house always has the best food, so simple yet so good.
Ben, I have never made Mexican rice but I imagine it goes beautifully. I did find one Mole recipe that called for peanuts which were then ground up so there’s really no difference here! I suggest you try it!
Veggiegirl, That’s my hope! No I have not tried it yet! I’ll be going this weekend to Whole Foods, I’ll be sure to look for it!
Sagan, Excellent! But if you’re anything like me, that’s a very long list….
Rita, Yup, it’s like a little bowl of heaven.
Dee, Not so much “sneaking” as the soup pot “demanding” it =).
Bren, Bring me back some!
My family makes Peanut Butter Mole with Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Somehow it is better than Jiff but unfortunately, I don’t know how to make Mole but will be trying soon.
Interesting, I wonder how it is with natural pb? Perhaps the difference between the two is the amount of salt or sugar? Either way peanut butter is a definite in mole!
I’ve altered your recipe to make it a bit more authentic and to deepen the flavors. Give it a try.
Peanut Butter Mole
1 pound Chicken Tenders or Chicken Breast, or Pork Tenderloin
2 T Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 jalapenos
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
2 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
2 dried anaheim chilies, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup whole peanuts
1 cinnamon stick broken in pieces
2 ounces Mexican chocolate
1T honey
Instructions:
Tear the ancho and anaheim peppers into large pieces and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they change color a bit, about 2 minutes. Put them into a bowl with the raisins and cover them with hot water. Soak until softened, about 30 minutes. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the peanuts, sesame seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, oregano, and thyme. Toast for 2 minutes, grind in a spice grinder, and add the powder to a blender. In the same skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onions, garlic, and jalapenos. Cook until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 to 15 minutes, then add to the blender. Add the peanut butter, chocolate, honey, and soaked chiles and raisins to the blender along with some of the chicken broth. Puree, adding more broth as needed, to make a smooth sauce.
Pour 2 cups of the mole into the already oiled pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour the mole into a baking dish. Brown the meat on all sides. Add the chicken breasts or tenders to the mole. If using pork, cut the pork into medallions and add them to the mole. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350.
The unused portion can be frozen for later use.
This is great actually, next time I make it I’ll incorporate some of these changes for sure. I’m always looking to go more authentic as long as it’s not too involved!
Yum yum yum!! :)
I had been eyeing this recipe for a while. I even put it in my ‘YummySoup’ application (an app for Mac users to store recipes, I highly recommend it), where I keep all my favorite, plan-to-make blog recipes. Finally, made it tonight for my mom, dad, and sister (who complained before it was made that she doesn’t like Mole). They all loved and raved about it. :) Even my sister began picking at the leftovers claiming it was too good to stop. It has a great little burn-your-lips heat to it.
Thanks a lot for the recipe.
I’ll have to check out that app, I’ve never heard of it! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, I actually impressed myself the first time I made it (not to brag of course) because it turned out so well. Thanks for re-living this recipe for me, I’ll be adding it to my “remake list” now!