Chicken and Mole' Enchiladas

The Chicken and Mole' Enchiladas are a great weekend dish. You could use the crock pot during the week day and have the chicken en mole' waiting for you. Then all you would need to do is prepare a baking dish with the sauce, roll up the enchiladas with 2-3 TBSP of the topping and a little cheese. Then spread the rest of the topping over them and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. You could get all of the ingredients ready the night before and put the crock pot on right before you go to work in the morning. Either way, this is a delicious sauce! I chose to use bone out breasts in this recipe which can cook in as little as 25 minutes. The bone in with skin thighs may take up to 35 minutes.

Chicken and Mole' Enchiladas

Mole'

16-24 ounces of chicken broth
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce chopped
4-5 squares Ghirardelli 60% Cacao chocolate chopped
1/4 cup peanut or almond butter
1 small box of raisins
2 Guajillo or New Mexico dried chili peppers (see below)
1/4 cup toasted  pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 TBSP sesame seeds (toast if fresh)
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts thawed
5-10 shakes of hot sauce(optional)


for the Enchiladas
4 oz cheddar cheese reserve half
1 pkg flour tortillas medium sized





Pan Method

Take the dried chilies and toast them in a dry frying pan until you can begin to smell them. Cool them down for a minute or two and then make a slit with a knife and remove all of the seeds and stem. To a very large frying pan add all of the other ingredients up to the chicken. Stir the sauce until the chocolate and peanut butter are melted. Add the defrosted chicken breasts and cook on medium heat for 25-30 minutes.  Shut off the sauce and remove the chicken to a clean plate. Let cool down for 5-10 minutes. While that cools down use a blender or hand blender to smooth out the sauce. You may leave some of the tomatoes chunky but may have to remove the dried peppers.

Shred the chicken. (Discard the skin if using skin on) Reserve 1/2 of the sauce for the topping before adding the chicken back in the sauce. Take one cup of the sauce and place it on the bottom of the baking dish(9x13). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay one tortilla in the sauce and add 1-3 TBSP of the filling. Add a pinch or two of the cheese. Push the filling to one side and roll. Place seam side down in the dish and keep on going until the dish is full. You may have to put a few sideways. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve with your favorite toppings. I like avocado and sour cream.

Puerto Rican Rice and Pernil or Roast Pork

I have been so busy with school this semester that I hardly have time to think. Sunday is both "Special Breakfast Day" for us and "Special Dinner Day."  It's the one day of the week I can put a long cooking chicken or roast in the oven and sit around. Ok I did do some errands today but now I am relaxing before I have to study. This dish is pretty much set it and forget. The rice comes together in 20 minutes. Together they are a marriage made in Heaven. 

Pernil 

Early in the morning take the roast out of the fridge. Use a knife to make little slits on the top of the roast. My roast had a thin layer of  fat. If you have a thicker layer of fat, use a knife to get under the fat and then make the slits on the roast. Mine was a 4lb sirloin pork roast. To the slits add minced garlic. I use the pre-cut one from a jar. (Travesty I know!) Next salt the entire roast and use two packets of Sazon with Achiote and Cumin and rub it on the outside and underneath the roast.

roast marinated

 Place in a small pan and cover with foil. Let marinate for a few hours. I started my roast around 1PM. I added water to a large roasting pan and then the roast. (It's important to keep the pan covered with water or you will have smoke!) Season  the roast with Adobo with cumin and cover the entire roasting pan with foil. Add to a preheated 350 degree oven. 

I baked the roast for 3 1/2 hours. I increased the oven temp. to 450 degrees.  It was now time to crisp the skin.  I removed the roast from the oven, removed the tin foil, and placed a marinade of 2 TBSP oil, 2TBSP lemon juice, and 1 tsp. Oregano, salt, and pepper.  Bake for 20-25 more minutes. The roast should measure 160 on a meat thermometer. Some say less  but I like to be sure it's done. 

Puerto Rican Rice

This is the rice I normally make in my Arroz con Pollo or chicken and rice. My youngest daughter goes wild for this! My only different addition was a pack of Sazon and some ham. You will love this rice too! I had black beans on hand but you can also use gandules or green pigeon peas. 

2 cups long grain rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 small onion diced 

1 tsp minced garlic

2 TBSP tomato paste

1 pack Sazon

10 green olives 

2 thick pieces ham

1 TBSP chicken bouillon (optional)

olive oil 

Add one to two TBSP oil to the bottom of a large stock pot. Brown the onions for 3 minutes or so and add the tomato paste. Again brown for another 2-3 minutes. Add the two cups of rice and once again brown in the oil for another few minutes. You are coating and browning the rice. Add the broth, garlic, Sazon, olives, diced ham, and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and no peeking for 15-20 minutes. Let sit on the stove top for 5 minutes before serving.  Add additional bouillon if needed. At the last minute I also add the beans before serving.