CHOCOLATE PEANUT MOLE CHICKEN & CILANTRO ORANGE RICE

Hey Steemians!  Here's another food photo shoot.  And of course, as always, there's a recipe below.

All of these photos were taken with my Nikon D5300 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G, verification photo below, that's meant to be funny by the way.  All content is mine and original. 

Hey, great news is that the days have been consistently getting brighter, longer, and warmer. Yay, Spring is a commin! Just a quick reminder to those those who have just tuned in, I live in Southern Chile, thus the Southern Hemisphere where Spring starts in two days.  Yes, sunshine is a very good thing. Thank God for seasons. I’m planning on getting some much needed vitamin D asap but I keep getting distracted by the list of things I need to get done. I’m going to have to just blow some things off, because this gorgeous weather is making it impossible to concentrate when I’m inside.  However, Steemit keeps calling my name!

You are probably hoping I get to the food soon and stop babbling. Mole is the topic I’m supposed to be typing about, Okay, and it’s pronounced (mo-lay) not (mol) like the underground mammals that destroy your lawn or the ugly growth on someones face that you try so unsuccessfully not to stare at. Mo-LAY, got it? Okay cool. 

So I don’t get credit for thinking up this one. Actually, this recipe is one of the things that my Mom used to make when I was growing up and it was one of my favorites. We always called it Jack Sparrow chicken because she started making it around the time the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out and eating it makes you feel like you’re somewhere exotic like the Caribbean. I love all the flavors going on with it. 

Mole is a name given to a type of spice blend and there are all kinds of varaitions but I think it originated in Mexico. Just about every Central American and even some South American countries have their own take on it though. I love this recipe because of the peanut butter. Come on, didn’t you always want to eat chocolate and peanut butter for dinner when you were a kid? And now you can! Fine, there are a few veggies included in this equation but I still think it’s pretty awesome to put chocolate in my savory food. It’s almost as much fun as putting hot peppers in dessert…..which I totally did this week also so you have to check back tomorrow because I’m sharing the recipe for something delish! 

RECIPE

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 6 - 8

Ingredients

Cilantro Orange Rice:

• 2 large oranges
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups uncooked brown rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 - 5 cups water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Chocolate Peanut Mole Chicken:

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon black coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 ounces cooked chicken, cut into cubes
• 1 cup cooked white beans (optional)
• salted dry roasted peanuts
• fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Rice:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat, Add oranges and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in stock, salt, cumin, sugar, rice, and 3 cups of water then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked (You may need to add more water during cooking). Mix in cilantro when rice if finished cooking and remove from heat.

Chicken:

1. While rice is simmering, make the mole. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened, then add tomatoes and cook about 3 minutes more.
2. Pour in stock and add all remaining ingredients except chicken and bring mixture to a low boil. Now reduce heat to low and add chicken; cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice with fresh cilantro and roasted peanuts if desired. 

 AND A HUGE MASSIVE SHOUT OUT TO @rigaronib for designing my logo!!!! 

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