Mexican Chicken Mole

Chicken mole (mo-lay) is a great midweek go to. Flavoursome, warming and super easy to knock up, you can have this ready in an hour. Buy the chicken pre roasted from the supermarket if you’re in a rush.

Ingredients (enough for 4-6 people):

• 1 free range chicken, roasted

• 2 onions

• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 2 cans of plum tomatoes

• 8 heaped tbsp red pepper paste (biber salcasi) found in any good Turkish shop

• 1 tbsp cumin

• 1½ tbsp cocoa powder

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp white pepper

• 400g brown rice

• chicken stock (made from the bones or you can use a stock cube)

• 1 can of black beans

• knob of butter & a little olive oil

• sour cream to serve

Steps:

Roast the chicken until the juices run clear. When cool pick the meat from the bones and set aside. The bones can then be used to create your chicken stock.

Slice the onions and sweat them gently in a casserole pot with the crushed garlic, butter and olive oil. When the onions are soft, translucent and just beginning to brown add the spices. Add the red pepper paste and then finally the canned tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes and then blitz smooth with a hand blender. Add the chicken and season with salt to taste.

While the stew is simmering you can put your rice on. I like to cook the rice & beans covered with the chicken stock at 2 parts stock to 1 part rice. It should take around 20 minutes. You can either use the chicken stock you made from the bones or simply put half a stock cube in with the water.

Serve with a big dollop of sour cream and some freshly steamed vegetables. Yum!