Pot Roast Chicken Mole is a Mexican-version of the classic British pot roast chicken: a rich mole sauce, sweetened with 100% Juicy Juice fruit juice, and accented with golden hunks of potato, carrots, and fennel wedges. The chicken and vegetables slowly cook in the fruity mole sauce and soak up all the flavors of warm spices, charred chiles, and fruit.
Flavorful Fun
I developed this recipe with Juicy Juice as a part of their Flavorful Fun initiative which is helping get kids interested in trying new foods. As a mama of two it is a mission I am passionate about so I jumped at the chance to create some recipes that I knew my kids loved and other families could would be excited about making. Juicy Juice is working with chefs and food bloggers all over the country to help families discover a new world of flavor and encourage kids to expand their tastes. This recipe uses their 100% Fruit Punch Juice, which has no added sugar and is made entirely of fruit juice, and pairs it with the rich spices of mole paste, mellowing out the chili and spice with a touch of sweetness, perfect for little palates.
Pot Roast Chicken Mole
In my mind pot roast always meant a beef roast cooked in a pot, but come to find out the British consider any ‘ol thing cooked in a pot to be “pot roasted” which if you think of it literally makes a lot of sense. The food goes in a pot (the pot part) and then in the oven (the roasted part). Voi-freakin-la!
I have the great pleasure to work for a British-based publishing house as their (and this is the technical term) Americanizer. It’s similar to the Equalizer but with a lot more recipes and a lot less Russian gangsters. I edit cookbooks and change the measurements and lingo to American English. I’ve come across several variations on this Pot Roast Chicken recipe and have wanted to try it for so long. I love the idea of the chicken and vegetables slowly simmering in a rich sauce and then taking the last little bit of time to brown and crisp the skin.
Pot Roast Chicken Mole is a dream of a dish that sounds impossibly complicated but with the help of mole paste, fruit juice, root vegetables, and the slow-roast of the oven it is actually ridiculously easy and absolutely l-o-v-e-d by everyone.
Where, What, How: Mole Paste
To make this dish a simple meal and not an afternoon ordeal you are going to need to use store-bought mole paste. My preferred mole paste is from Guelaguetza in LA (not getting paid, just really like their mole) and can be purchased online. I made this recipe with their Mole Negro paste for this recipe but any of their varieties would be delicious and it might be fun to experiment with other flavors just to see which one is your favorite. The most widely distributed mole paste are the Doña Maria brand and those can be found in most well-stocked grocery stores in the Hispanic aisle. I used to buy it in North Dakota, so I know they have it where you are.
If you’ve never used mole paste before, it is a very thick, oily condiment similar in texture to tahini and needs to be dissolved in liquid to make a sauce. Typically you add broth but in this recipe I used fruit juice and broth to give the dish a touch of sweetness.
Pot Roast Chicken Mole and Veggies
Pot Roast Chicken Mole is a Mexican-version of the classic British pot roast chicken: a rich mole sauce, sweetened with 100% @JuicyJuiceUSA fruit juice, and accented with golden hunks of potato, carrots, and fennel wedges. The chicken and vegetables slowly cook in the fruity mole sauce and soak up all the flavors of warm spices, charred chiles, and fruit. #molechicken #healthyLatinrecipe #easychickenrecipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Juicy Juice 100% Juice Fruit Punch
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup mole paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
- 1 (4-5 pound whole chicken)
- 2 onions, sliced
- 3 large carrots, cut into thirds
- 1 bulb fennel, cut into large pieces
- 4 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Combine fruit punch, broth, mole paste, and salt in a Dutch oven big enough to hold the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring to dissolve the mole paste. Remove from heat.
- Generously season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the pot with the mole mixture and turn several times to coat. Arrange vegetables around the chicken, cover and put in the oven.
- Cook for an hour and a half, basting with the mole mixture every 30 minutes. Uncover and cook another 30 minutes or until chicken is very tender and top is golden.
- Cut chicken into pieces and serve with the veggies and sauce.
This post is sponsored by Juicy Juice. All opinions are my own. Thank you to the brands who make this site possible.
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