Estofado de Pollo
Cookbook author and restaurateur Bricia Lopez says this is the mole that her mother has prepared the most. Bricia has many memories of asking her mom to make this dish for her birthday when she was growing up. It’s also the first mole that Bricia learned how to cook since it’s the most approachable and easiest to make. The dish’s briny, bright flavors are quite different from many other moles because there aren’t any dried chiles involved, the chef explains. The main flavor comes from pickled jalapeños and olives, so try to get the highest quality of those two ingredients available.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 2 lb./1 kg), cut into 8 pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed, plus 10 cloves, peeled
- 1 small white onion, peeled and halved
- 1/4 cup (1 oz./25 g) chopped white onion
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./120 ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (3 1/2 oz./105 g) whole almonds, shelled
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 cups (7 oz./220 g) raisins
- 1/2 cup (1/2 oz./15 g) dried oregano
- 1/4 cup (1/3 oz./11 g) dried thyme
- 12 black peppercorns
- 3 whole cloves
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 5 3/4 cups (about 2 lb./1 kg) chopped tomatoes
- 6 tomatillos (about 4 1/4 oz./135 g), husked and rinsed
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) water
- 4 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
- 1/2 cup (3 1/4 oz./100 g) sugar
- Sea salt
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) pitted green olives, such as Manzanilla
- 1 small can (7 oz./198 g) sliced jalapeños in escabeche, drained
Directions
Place the chicken, the 3 smashed garlic cloves and the halved onion in a stockpot filled with salted water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook over medium heat until the chicken is tender and fully cooked, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the stock to cool. Strain the stock and reserve 3 cups (24 fl. oz./720 ml).
Preheat a broiler to its highest setting.
Place the chopped onion on a baking sheet. On your oven’s highest rack, broil the onion until lightly charred, about 10 minutes. Add the 10 garlic cloves to the baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes more. Set aside.
In a Dutch oven or the largest fry pan you have, warm 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) of the vegetable oil over low heat. Fry the almonds and sesame seeds in the oil, stirring very frequently so they don’t burn, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. When they are fragrant, using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the almonds and sesame seeds to a bowl. Add the raisins to the pot and fry them in the oil until they plump up, about 5 minutes or less.
In a comal or griddle, toast the oregano, thyme, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon over low heat. When aromatic, grind the spices in a molcajete or spice grinder until finely ground.
In a separate pot over medium-high heat, combine the tomatoes, tomatillos and the 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes and tomatillos have changed color, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes and tomatillos to a blender and blend until smooth. Pass the puree through a double-fine-mesh strainer into the pot and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the almonds, sesame seeds, raisins, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, onion, garlic and parsley and process until a paste forms.
In a large stockpot, warm the remaining 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) vegetable oil. Add the almond paste and fry, stirring continuously, until fragrant. Add the tomato-tomatillo puree, sugar and the 3 cups (24 fl. oz./720 ml) strained chicken stock. Season to taste with salt.
Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the olives and 3 to 5 jalapeños. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
Serve the estofado over the chicken with additional jalapeño slices. Serves 4 to 6.
Adapted from Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Bricia Lopez and Javiar Cabral (Abrams Books, 2019)