Chicken Peanut Molé with Cilantro-Citrus Rice
When I found this recipe I thought it had great potential. I told Jay that I’d make a special Peanut Molé for him this week and he said, “Peanut Butter Mexican food? Yuck, those flavors don’t go together.”
But that didn’t stop me. With a couple of small tweaks here and there I took this recipe that was originally fried and turned it into a tender crock pot meal. In the end I wouldn’t call it Mexican – it was much more like an Indian or Thai food. Jay admitted that he was wrong about the flavors, and was even more shocked when I told him that the secret ingredient to this dish is chocolate! We all agreed it was delicious, especially with the Cilantro-Citrus rice.
Chicken Peanut Molé
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 med onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/3 c. low sodium broth
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- ¼ c. peanut butter
- 1 Tbs baking cocoa
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
Cilantro-Citrus Rice
- 1 ½ c. white rice
- 2/3 c. low sodium chicken broth
- 2 1/3 c. water
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ¼ c. orange marmalade
- 2 Tbs. fresh chopped cilantro
Trim chicken breasts of excess fat and gristle, place in bottom of crock pot. Combine all other ingredients (except cilantro) in a large mixing bowl. Stir until ingredients are evenly distributed then pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
During the last half hour of cook time, prepare rice according to package directions but with the water-chicken broth portions in the recipe and the cumin. One rice is cooked slowly add orange marmalade, stirring until well distributed. Stir in cilantro.
Shred chicken and stir into sauce. Stir in cilantro and allow to warm with lid off for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve over Cilantro-Citrus rice.
Happy Cooking!
