For about the past month, I’ve been working diligently to plan our meals ahead of time every week rather than trying to come up with a plan at 5 pm everyday. I won’t lie – I still find it to be a tedious task and I have to set aside a few hours each weekend to get it done. But you know what guys? It’s really paying dividends so I’m going to try to keep it up. When I don’t have a plan I buy haphazardly at the grocery store and we wind up throwing out a ton of food. So not only are we saving money now, but our fridge and freezer are SO clean, I love it. Gone are the days of finding science experiments from who knows how long ago hiding in the back corner of the fridge ๐ It also makes weekdays a lot easier since it removes the stress of trying to piece together whatever happens to be in the house to make a meal.
When I’m working on the meal plan for the week, I try to include a few dishes that are repeats – tried and true favorites, as well as a couple of new recipes. You’ve probably noticed by now that I’m all about easy dinner recipes. Very rarely do I want to spend hours cooking dinner on a weeknight, and frankly, it’s a pretty rare occasion that I have that desire on the weekend either. That said, I have no problem with a meal that has a long cooking time so long as 90% of it is hands off, which makes my slow cooker a pretty useful appliance. A few of our meals in the past few weeks, including this mole chicken chili, have utilized it, and I know there’ll be more to come this winter.
Let me say off the bat that I’ve never had authentic mole sauce. I understand it’s generally made using lots of dried chiles, chocolate, and nuts, and is really fantastic – one of these days I will actually give it a go. This recipe, though, takes some shortcuts and turns to substitutes you probably have in your pantry, like cocoa powder and spices such as chili powder, cinnamon and cloves. It’ll probably take you less than 15 minutes to get everything in the slow cooker and then you set it to low and go about your day. The recipe says 4-6 hours, but my chicken was fall apart tender at just shy of 4 hours. The chicken is shredded and stirred back into the sauce then it’s all served over white rice. I wasn’t sure how this one would go over, but Shane and I both enjoyed it quite a bit. The sauce was quite rich and flavorful, unlike anything I’ve ever had in terms of flavor with the combination of ingredients at work here. There were a ton of leftovers too. I made the full recipe and we were fed for dinner one night as well as lunch for another 2 or 3 days. I confess I was sort of sick of chili by the end, but it definitely made my meal planning task easier that week!
Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Chili
from Slow Cooker Revolution
2 onions, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilis
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (I omitted)
Combine the onions, vegetable oil, chili powder, cocoa powder, garlic, cinnamon and cloves in a microwave-safe bowl.ย Microwave until the onions are softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.ย Transfer to the slow cooker.ย Add the broth, tomatoes (and their juice), raisins, peanut butter, tapioca and chipotle chilis and stir to combine.ย Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper then nestle into the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is fall-apart tender. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and, using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Let the chili settle for a few minutes then skim any fat from the surface with a spoon. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker and heat for just a few minutes to warm through. Mix in the scallions and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over white rice and garnish with the sesame seeds.
I haven’t eaten an authentic mole either, but your version looks pretty darn incredible. Perfect for this rainy day~
I’ve never had chicken chili before but it looks delicious.
I agree that being able to plan your meals for the week definitely cuts down on leftover wasted food. Unfortunately cooking for one these days means I cook dinner once, maybe twice a week. Leftovers galore! I need to get better at cooking meals that are meant for only one of two servings. In the mean time it’s a good thing there are other things to cook like Breakfast and dessert O:-).
I’m trying to add more slow cooker recipes to our menu. Thanks, this looks great. We’ll try it.
Mmm, this looks really good, I wish I had a slow cooker!
I discovered your site a few weeks ago and I love it. Your photos are great, your writing is accessible and interesting, and your recipes are well laid out.
Keep up the good work!
Tracey, another smart post from start to finish…it’s amazing what a little planning can do to save time & money. I like the easy tangibility of the recipe in how it comes together. I say ole to mole!
um yum, this sounds awesome! I just bookmarked it to make on a weekend sometime (can’t do it during the week unfortunately bc we’re not home in time to turn off the crockpot!). I’m all about the shortcut route for dinners ๐
Planning meals helps us so much too…sometimes I feel like our fridge and pantry are so bare compared to most peoples but I get super stressed when I have too many foods to use up!
I love mole, so I’m definitely going to try this!
I have become a rigorous meal planner over the last few years and it really does cut down waste. I take an inventory of what’s in my fridge, my CSA share, and the stuff I couldn’t help but buy at the farmers market, and then plan recipes that will use those ingredients (this was made even easier when my programmer husband made me a searchable database of all my recipes). Then I go to the grocery store and buy whatever else I might need. It does take a lot of time, but I’ve cut my wasted food down to almost nothing. When I started doing this, I had thought that I would balk at the lack of sponteneity, but it actually worked the opposite way – I find myself looking forward to the awesome meals I have planned. And, since I only plan dinners, my lunches can be more spontaneous (or just use up leftovers).
This was definitely a tasty dinner and just as good for leftovers! Thanks again for making it!
I need a slow cooker in my life because this chili could not look more comforting and delicious.
Looks absolutely delicious, Tracey. Meal planning also helps keep you on track so that you don’t reach into the cupboard or mini mart for that bag of chips!
Why did you add Tapioca?
@what dee says: It thickens the sauce a bit. You might be able to substitute another thickener, but I haven’t tried so can’t be sure.
I’ve never made mole sauce either but I’ve tasted it! This sounds like an interesting recipe. I’ve been eying that Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook for a while.
I am with you on the meal planning. It keeps me sane! I actually like grocery shopping, but when you add a toddler into the mix, you want to keep your weekly shopping trips to the bare minimum…
This chili looks amazing. I love mole (the closest to authentic I’ve had is in San Francisco – I used to live a block away from a restaurant famous for it) and can’t wait to try this one.
This looks really good. And I bet it would smell really good as it cooked throughout the day.
This looks amazing! I attempted a mole chili last year, and something went horribly wrong. So wrong that my hubby refused to eat it (which is rare in my house). I think I need to give this version a try to redeem myself ๐
I plan dinners for the week, and it does take time but is so worth it! This chili sounds like it would be at hit at our house! David Lebovitz has a mole recipe I’ve been wanting to try forever. Hopefully I’ll get to it this winter.
I have to work a little at menu planning too. I’ve learned that I do better with choosing several recipes but not assigning days as I tend to make whatever I feel like from my list anyway ๐ I always seem to forget about my slow cooker when planning. Need to remember it because this sounds great!
I love slow cooker meals. Too bad only make 2 things in my slow cooker. I really should give it more air time in the kitchen. Your mole chickent chili looks incredible. Though I’m not sure I could get Hubby to eat it. I have never had authentic mole, but the flavors sound like a fun change.
Tried it today – haven’t had authentic mole either…
I added cumin – I add that to almost everything Mexican and topped it off with cilantro and spring onions. Yummy! Recipe is a keeper
Love the recipe! Can’t wait to try it…
OMg! This looks really yummy!!! Can I do the same thing in a dutch oven on the stove?? Anyone know how much time it would take?
@Victoria – Thanks! I’m honestly not sure if it would work in a dutch oven. My guess is yes, but having never tried it I have no idea how long it would take. Let me know if you give it a go!
Dumb (and seriously after-the-fact) question here, but I must ask as we’re seriously considering making this this weekend: By “tapioca”, do you mean instant tapioca pudding mix?
By the way, the pic looks delicious.
@Jeff – Not a dumb question at all. I took a picture of the box for you:
http://bit.ly/x1ubQj
I’ve found the product either near the pudding section in my grocery store or in the baking section. I generally use this Minute tapioca as a thickener in recipes, but I think it can be used for pudding too. I’m not a pudding fan so not very knowledgable about it ๐ Hope that helps!
Thanks so very much for answering my question (and sorry I took so long to respond to you with my thanks). I’m heading out in a minute to get the stuff to make this, and your deciding to snap and post a photo of the item in question has helped immeasurably. Again, thanks!
This is a great recipe. I made it once before and it was a big hit with my roommates; batch number two is slow-cooking in the kitchen at this very moment!