Pine Nut Mole with Roasted Chicken
Mole de Piñón con Pollo al Horno
Recipe Yield
6 servings
Cooking time
1 hour 20 minutes
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Ingredients
- 2 cups raw pine nuts
- 5 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil divided
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups thinly sliced leeks white parts only
- 2 cups thinly sliced scallions white and light green parts, reserve green parts for garnish
- 2 to 3 banana peppers or jalapeños stemmed and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 ripe plantain peeled and sliced
- 1 tart green apple peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper divided
- 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 whole star anise
- 2 slices of bread such as brioche, challah or yeast based bun, lightly toasted and diced (about 1 cup)
- 6 chicken leg quarters thigh and drumstick together
To Prepare
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat and toast the pine nuts for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until they smell toasty and begin to change color. Watch carefully and don’t let them brown or toast too much. Transfer to a bowl.
- In the same skillet, lightly toast the sesame seeds, for a minute, watching carefully so they don’t brown or burn. Transfer to the bowl with the pine nuts.
- Heat 2 tablespoons each of the olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and butter in a large casserole or deep skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the leeks, scallions, banana peppers or jalapeños, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 7 minutes until softened. Make room in the middle, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and once it melts, add the plantains and apples and continue cooking for another 10 to 12 minutes, until the plantains have softened and started to brown on both sides.
- Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables, add ½ teaspoon of white pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir, raise heat to medium high, and let it come to a simmer. Once it does, add the toasted pine nuts and sesame seeds, agave syrup, bay leaves and star anise. Stir and once it returns to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the star anise and bay leaves. Add the diced bread, immersing it into the liquid, and cook for another 5 minutes, so the bread softens and soaks up broth. Remove from heat and let cool a bit, then transfer to a blender and puree until completely silky and smooth, working in batches if necessary. Pour into a saucepan and reserve.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with the oven rack in the middle. Drizzle the chicken with the remaining olive oil and sesame oil and season with a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon ground white pepper.
- Place chicken onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 40 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked, the juices run clear when poked with a knife, and a meat thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the leg. The skin should be crispy.
- When ready to serve the chicken, heat the sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally. It should be very hot when ready to serve.
- Place the chicken on individual plates or a platter, with the pine nut mole poured over the top or under the chicken. Garnish with the green parts of the scallions.
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