Chicken mole is good.

Mole, in Mexican, simply means sauce. But what a sauce it is.

This is one version in a sea of quite possibly thousands.

Put it on the table next to some corn, rice, salsas, avocado and/or crumbly cheese, and a big ol’ pile of warm tortillas. Always with a pile of warm tortillas.

So, with no more beating around the proverbial bush – a task I feel is best left up to Ron Jeremy and his band of merry 80’s porn stars – here is a recipe for my pulled chicken Mole, a must for any table that is supporting a Mexican feast.

CHICKEN MOLE
(for 8 as part of a banquette)

1kg chicken breast
4 cloves
2 cinnamon quills
80g Mexican chocolate (if you can’t get hold of it use 1 tablespoon cocoa powder)
800g tomato passata
1 cup chicken stock or water

THE PASTE
2 corn tortillas, grilled or roasted with a little oil until brown
80g sultanas
80g almonds, roasted
¼ cup pepitas, roasted
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, roasted
1 tablespoon ground coriander
4 cloves garlic
4 dried long red chillies, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
1 cup water

Place all ingredients for the paste into a food processor or blender and blitz until it’s nice and pasty like your chefs’ tan.
Heat a heavy based pot over a medium-low heat.
Add a splash of oil and fry paste off, stirring regularly, until you are starting to detect delicious aromas with your nose. Yep, I’m afraid your nose is in charge of this one.
Add all other ingredients, except chicken, and chuck some salt and pepper in there too. Simmer over low heat, stirring often so it doesn’t catch, for 40 minutes.
While sauce is cooking you can grill or roast chicken breast at 180 C (360 F) for 15-20 minutes, until just cooked. Once cooked, shred chicken apart using two forks.
Add chicken to the sauce and check seasoning.
Serve it up with a pile of other good things that make you think about Mexico.