Chicken with Ancho-Peanut Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: A specialty of the Puebla region, pollo encacahuatado is a chicken dish with a thick, hearty sauce made with tomatoes, ground peanuts, and chiles. A variation of a classic mole, the rich red sauce boasts deep chile flavor that is beautifully complemented by the sweetness of the tomatoes and the savory, nutty, peanut flavor. For our version, we settled on traditional ancho chiles; their naturally smoky, fruity, complex flavor and mild heat made them an excellent option. We also added a bit of chipotle chile in adobo for an even deeper, smokier flavor. As for the peanuts, we chose dry roasted peanuts to save ourselves the time of roasting them ourselves. Toasted sesame seeds gave the sauce an even more complex nutty flavor. We blended the chiles, peanuts, and sesame seeds with tomatoes, warm spices, and aromatics to create a thick paste. We then fried the paste in oil to deepen its flavor; this also created a rich and flavorful fond. To this base, we added some savory chicken broth, which tasted better than plain water. The gentle, even heat of poaching left the chicken juicy and infused it with the complex chile-nut flavor. For some textural contrast, we dressed the finished dish with more chopped peanuts as well as some cilantro for freshness. Serve with rice.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (¾ cup)
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 tomatoes, cored and chopped coarse
• 1 cup whole unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, plus ¼ cup chopped
• 1½ cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar, plus extra as needed
• 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• Salt and pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 (6-to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toast anchos in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes; transfer to blender. Add onion, tomatoes, whole peanuts, ¼ cup broth, sesame seeds, garlic, vinegar, sugar, chipotle, ½ teaspoon salt, cinnamon, and cloves to blender and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
2. Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pureed chile mixture and cook, stirring often, until mixture has thickened and darkened in color, about 8 minutes.
3. Stir in remaining 1¼ cups broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into sauce. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
4. Transfer chicken to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Season sauce with sugar, salt, and pepper to taste, and spoon over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and chopped peanuts and serve.