Mole Chicken Casserole
I borrowed liberally from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for Slow Cooked Chicken with a Crips Corn Crust, which I fell in love with the day I got the book. That recipe slants a little more Middle Eastern, whereas this recipe is more Southwest… sort of a red chile chicken enchilada casserole. The mole here is a simple thick, red chile sauce and not as complex as more traditional moles… think of it as a good beginner mole. You can also serve the chicken without the corn pudding crust, with rice or tortillas. It’s a delicious stew.
Ingredients
- 4 dried large red chiles such as Guajilo or Ancho, stems and seeds removed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons harissa (from page 8 in Low Sodium, Big Flavor)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch cubes
- ½ cup unsalted tomato puree
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- ½ ounce dark chocolate (optional)
- ½ ounce tahini
- 1 cup cilantro
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups corn (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
Preparation
Tear the chiles into smaller pieces and place in a small bowl. Top with about a cup of boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes. Transfer the whole mixture (including the water) to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding a little more water if needed.
If you have a pressure cooker, place the onion, garlic, harissa, paprika, cumin, chiles, black pepper, chicken, tomato puree, tomatoes, bell pepper, chocolate, and tahini in the cooker, and cook with high pressure for 45 minutes, with natural release.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, place the oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium high heat, uncovered. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, harissa, paprika, pureed chiles, black pepper, and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, and then stir in the tomato puree, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chocolate and tahini and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes.
Stir in the cilantro, and spoon into an 8 x 12-inch high-sided casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 400F.
Place the melted butter, corn, milk, and egg yolks in a blender and pulse to create a chunky paste (don’t overly puree – you want some of the corn to remain whole).
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or in a bowl with a whisk, whip the egg whites to firm peaks. Fold half of the corn mixture into the whipped whites, and then fold in the remaining corn mixture. Spoon the mixture onto the chicken to cover, using the back of a spoon to smooth it out.
Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.