Sometimes my best meals come from the “oh my gosh I have no clue what to make for dinner” inspiration, where I go rooting about in the fridge and cabinets for something to throw together. The other day I had some boneless chicken thighs to use and I was feeling vaguely Mexican-ish (and we had some Mexican accoutrements left over from the Super Bowl, like salsa, chips, and guacamole).  I came up with a slow cooker chicken mole that was pretty tasty. (Note: the food cooks much better if you remember to plug in and turn on the slow cooker before you leave the house for four hours. Dinner ended up being rather late.)

Making authentic Mexican mole sauce involves smashing up whole dried chiles, grinding nuts or sesame seeds, smashing cinnamon sticks, crushing chocolate, and several other fairly time-intensive steps.  I would love to try it sometime, but not on a busy weeknight when I’m rushing around to several activities, supervising homework and generally trying to keep my head from exploding.  My mole is simple; it doesn’t have the depth of flavor that you would get from a traditional recipe, but if you like the taste of mole sauce, it’s an enjoyable, easy version.  I served it burrito-style in whole wheat tortillas with brown basmati rice (I am trying to convert my family to eating brown rice, so far it’s working on my husband but the kids are rather dubious), with salsa and guacamole on top.

Yogamum’s Slow Cooker Chicken Mole 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breasts
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon good-quality chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)

Serve with any/all of the below:
Cooked rice
Tortillas
Black beans
Salsa
Guacamole
Shredded cheese
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until softened.  Add garlic, saute for a minute or two, and place onion and garlic in slow cooker.  Brown the chicken on both sides until it is golden and add to slow cooker.  Add tomato sauce and seasonings to the skillet and stir to combine, then pour over chicken.  Cook on High for 2-3 hours, or Low for 4-5 hours.  (You can also simmer this in a pot on the stove if you don’t have a slow cooker). When the chicken is cooked, shred it using a couple of forks, and taste for seasoning.  You may like more or less salt or sugar.

Serve over rice, or make burritos with chicken, rice, and beans inside, topped with salsa, cheese, guacamole or whatever you like!