Ethnic Food Week!

I was in a little thrift shop the other day, and was SO excited to find America's Test Kitchen's "The Best International Recipes" cookbook, for only $2!

So of course I want to try out a bunch of the recipes... and I've decided that this week is going to be Ethnic Food Week. I'm going to try out at least one new recipe from the book per day, and let y'all know about them here. Last night was Day One: Mole Chicken, from Mexico.

It turned out quite well! We had it over potatoes with lots of guac. And lots of cheese. :) Here's my rendition of the recipe:

Mole Chicken

Ingredients: 

2 ancho chiles
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped coarse
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tsp butter
salt and pepper
3 lbs bone-in chicken pieces (I used thighs)
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350. Place the ancho chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and puffed, about 6 minutes. Remove the chiles from the oven and let cool; when cool enough to handle, seed and stem the chiles, and break into small pieces.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering . Add the onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the toasted chile pieces, cinnamon, cloves, and chocolate and cook until the spices are fragrant and the chocolate is melted and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, raisins, and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chile mixture to a blender or food processor and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Season to taste.

Adjust the oven temp to 400. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer in a shallow baking dish and cover with the mole sauce. Bake, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 170 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let rest in the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve. Enjoy. Go back for seconds. Dream of how amazing ice cream would be after this meal...