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Instant Pot Chicken Mole

I’m not a “gadget person.” Sure, I have the necessities – a blender that can be stored on a shelf, a full-size food processor, and a mini-food processor that can be tucked away – but an instant pot just seemed silly to me.

And then Jedd bought me one.

Oh. My. God.

It’s awesome.

I made a full-on-falling-apart-pork shoulder in 45 minutes for a potluck. I make Arroz con Pollo several times a week because it’s a one pot delicious magic meal that comes together in 15 minutes. And now I’m all about the mole.

Yes. A full-flavored, complex mole that happens in less than 45 minutes. (Note: And 40 minutes of that is hands off time.) I’m in love.

So, if you needed a reason to invest some money in a gadget, give this one a shot. Just a little head’s up though, if you’re short on storage space you may constantly be playing a game of “where to put the instant pot when it’s not in use?”

My favorite places are: The rocking chair in the living room, on top of the sound system next to the record player, and on the coffee table.

But, hey. It’s important to make your own fun and games, right?

Instant Pot Chicken Mole

Serves 2-4.

Ingredients:

2 dried arbol chilies, stem and seeds removed

1 dried guajillo pepper, stem and seeds removed

¼ cup pepitas

1 cup boiling water

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

¼ medium red onion, roughly chopped

¼ cup hot pepper water

¼ cup roughly chopped chipotles in adobo

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon hot smoked paprika

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 (4-5 oz.) boneless chicken breast

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place the arbol chilies and guajillo pepper on a small baking sheet. Bake for 2 minutes.

On a separate sheet spread the pepitas out in a single layer, and bake for 2 minutes.

Place the peppers in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap for 15 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the water.

Process the hydrated peppers, tomatoes, chicken broth, red onion, pepper water, chipotles, cranberries, cocoa, cumin, paprika, and salt together in a blender until smooth.

Place the chicken breast in the bottom of the instant pot and cover with mole sauce. Place the lid on the instant pot, and turn it on “manual.” Set the time for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes is up, release the pressure manually.

Remove the chicken, and shred it with two forks.

Turn the setting to “sauté,” and reduce the sauce to desired consistency.

Serve on warm flour tortillas with pickled onions, cilantro, and radishes.

Enjoy!

(Photos by Launie Kettler)

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