Looking for
great food gifts?

Find something
special in our
Food Gifts Store

Serve this mole (pronounced mo-LAY and translated as "sauce") with brown rice, steamed corn tortillas and a green salad.

• 3 cups water
• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 chicken legs and thighs
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup crushed corn chips
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Bring water, chicken and celery to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, letting chicken simmer about 1 hour, or until meat comes away easily from bones. Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. Strain broth and keep liquid; discard celery.

In a blender, combine half of the broth with the cilantro, salt, cumin, cloves, chili powder, garlic, raisins, corn chips and onion. Pulse several times to blend.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and carefully add the blended ingredients. (You are actually "frying" the sauce, here, so pour carefully to avoid spatters.) Heat and stir for 5 minutes. Add the remaining broth, tomato sauce and melted chocolate to skillet. Cover and simmer on low heat 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken and cut into bite-size pieces; add to sauce in skillet. Taste and correct seasonings, if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes. Toast almond slivers and use as garnish.

Related article: Spend the Day Making Mole