/ / / / / Easy Chicken Mole (Pressure Cooker /Slow Cooker)

Easy Chicken Mole (Pressure Cooker /Slow Cooker)

This quick weeknight version of chicken mole is an easy Mexican recipe made in the pressure cooker or slow cooker with a simple blender sauce. It is an easy recipe for kids to make and a way to introduce them to more traditional Mexican flavors.

Although mole is believed to have originated in the central region of Mexico, other regions make their own varieties of it. There are a great variety of ingredients to add to mole and for this version, I’ve opted to keep it simple with pantry staples I always have on hand. The toned down spices make it more palatable for kids but with rich flavors that adults will love.

Although you can use the same sauce to cook the chicken in a slow cooker like I do for my Chicken Mole Enchiladas, I love using my pressure cooker for busy weeknight dinners.

When we have this, we like to serve it with Arroz Amarillo and seasoned black beans. Don’t forget a glass of homemade horchata to round out the meal!

ingredients on a cutting board with text labels

Ingredients

  • fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • onion
  • garlic
  • Mexican hot sauce
  • unsweetened cocoa powder
  • raisins
  • sesame seeds
  • sugar
  • salt
  • chicken stock or water
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • ground coriander
  • boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Possible substitutions

If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes you can use regular diced tomatoes.

For the Mexican hot sauce, some of my favorite widely available brands are Cholula and El Yucateco.

a collage showing how to make this

How to make this

  1. Place all of the ingredients except for the chicken breasts into a blender. Blend until smooth. Don’t skip the water as this is necessary for the pressure cooker to seal.
  2. Cook for 8 minutes on high pressure and then allow to natural release for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken from sauce and keep warm. Sauté the sauce in the pressure cooker for 5-7 minutes until it has thickened.

Make this in the slow cooker

If you want to make this mole in the slow cooker instead of the pressure cooker, omit the 1/2 cup chicken stock or water. Cook the chicken in the mole sauce for 4 hours. At the end of cooking, remove the chicken and mix together 1/4 cold water with 1/4 cup flour in a small bowl until you have a smooth paste. Add the paste to the mole sauce in the slow cooker and cook on high for 15-20 minutes.

Top Tips

According to the USDA chicken should be cooked to a minimum of 165℉ when measured at the thickest part and not touching the bone.

A good meat thermometer will always be your friend when cooking meats to the perfect temperature. I use my Thermoworks thermopen all the time to make sure I don’t overcook or under cook my meat.

If you find that your chicken breasts are slightly under cooked, allow them to sit in the sauce for a few more minutes checking frequently until the meat the temperature stated above.

Top tips for cooking with kids

As you gather all of the ingredients for the mole sauce, ask your kids to taste, smell, and feel the different ingredients. Here are some talking points you can have as you do this.

  • Ask them to describe what they are sensing.
  • Can they tell which ones are sweet?
  • Which ingredients smell good to them?

See here for more tips on cooking with kids!

Do you follow Jonesin’ For Taste on Facebook? Stop by, say hi, and let me know what kinds of recipes you want to see!

Other recipes you may like

Recipe

bowls of rice, beans, and mole chicken

Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Mole

This quick weeknight version of chicken mole is an easy Mexican recipe made in the pressure cooker with a simple blender sauce.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Pressure Cooker Passive Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 8 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Latin American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 222kcal
Author: Jade Jones

Ingredients

  • 1 14.5 ounce canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon Mexican hot sauce
  • 3 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 Tablespoon raisins
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chicken stock or water
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless

Instructions

  • For mole sauce, in a blender container or food processor bowl combine undrained tomatoes, onion, garlic, hot sauce, cocoa powder, raisins, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, chicken stock and spices. Cover and blend or process until the mixture is a course puree.
  • In a pressure cooker place chicken breasts and then sauce. Place lid on pressure cooker and set valve to sealing. Set cooker to cook for 8 minutes high pressure. Allow to natural release for 5 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure.
  • Remove chicken from cooker. Press the sauté button and allow the sauce to cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
  • Serve chicken with rice and beans and tortillas if you would like.

Notes

Substitutions
If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes you can use regular diced tomatoes.
For the Mexican hot sauce, some of my favorite widely available brands are Cholula and El Yucateco.
Make this in the slow cooker
If you want to make this mole in the slow cooker instead of the pressure cooker, omit the 1/2 cup chicken stock or water. Cook the chicken in the mole sauce for 4 hours. At the end of cooking, remove the chicken and mix together 1/4 cold water with 1/4 cup flour in a small bowl until you have a smooth paste. Add the paste to the mole sauce in the slow cooker and cook on high for 15-20 minutes.
Top Tips
According to the USDA chicken should be cooked to a minimum of 165℉ when measured at the thickest part and not touching the bone.
A good meat thermometer will always be your friend when cooking meats to the perfect temperature. I use my Thermoworks thermopen all the time to make sure I don’t overcook or under cook my meat.
If you find that your chicken breasts are slightly under cooked, allow them to sit in the sauce for a few more minutes checking frequently until the meat the temperature stated above.

Nutrition

Sodium: 339mg | Calcium: 32mg | Vitamin C: 5mg | Vitamin A: 45IU | Sugar: 1g | Fiber: 2g | Potassium: 708mg | Cholesterol: 97mg | Calories: 222kcal | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fat: 5g | Protein: 34g | Carbohydrates: 10g | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @JonesinforTaste or tag #JonesinforTaste!

bowls of rice, beans, and mole chicken

Similar Posts

2 Comments

  1. Two comments regarding your recipe card: 1) the ingredients list – for the tomatoes I believe the last word should be undrained not canned as you already indicate canned. 2) for the instructions – you forgot to mention that the hot sauce goes into the blender.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating