Cocoa-Roasted Chicken with Peanut Rice

I have recently discovered a love for Mole sauce. I have not yet attempted to make my own but I really want to. (if you have a recipe you like, please leave a comment or email me) Mole refers to a lot of things in Spanish and Mexican cooking, but I am talking about Mole Sauce, or Mole Poblano. To make a very long story short, the Mole sauce I love has a delicious subtle chocolate flavor to it that I adore. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. (except for the bananas part, that is pretty much the only food I do not like!)




Do not be alarmed that I am rubbing chocolate all over some chicken. The recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa and I bet you that if I put a bite of this in your mouth and asked you what you tasted you would not even think cocoa or chocolate. It is just this subtle delicious flavor that is almost smoky, yet you can't quite place it. Now that I have you interested, lets get cooking! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lets start gathering some ingredients.




Cocoa, pepper and coriander.




Rice.




My chicken just waiting for a rub down. The recipe calls for turkey, but I used chicken thighs because I love them.




Here is the seasoning, so simple. Cocoa and salt!




Get the chicken coated with the oil and seasoning and pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes. Use a pan that you can then heat on the stove top to make your sauce later.

While the chicken roasts, we need to prepare our rice.




You need some peanuts.




Some green pepper.




and some crushed up coriander.




Cook up the coriander and green pepper in some butter for about 2 minutes.




Add in the rice and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, pop on a lid, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it hang out for another 10 minutes.




Once the time is up, stir in your peanuts and that side is ready to go.




Look at that! When the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and place it on the stove.




Put the chicken in some foil and keep it nice and warm. Take your pan and put it over medium heat.




Add some water or chicken broth to the pan and scrape up all the yummy brown bits from the bottom. When this reduces you are ready to serve.




This was absolutely delicious and I cannot stress enough that this is not a chocolatey or sweet dish. It is savory and complex, but so easy to make.