I rarely go to Trader Joe’s, maybe once a month to stock up on Kerrygold Butter (tip: it’s close to $1 cheaper there than other stores), organic frozen berries & tequila. Of course, I am always tempted with the loads of chocolate near the check out. I noticed this one – organic & with no soy lecithin, which you don’t often see. I was really excited to try it, but I should have known better than to think “salt & pepper” chocolate would be good. I don’t recommend this for dessert, but it did make a killer mole! I am also thinking of using it to make salt and pepper ice-cream!
I have been experimenting with moles in my crock-pot for a couple of years now. I think this is the best one I’ve made yet. It is really really good! And it is simple to make! Easy is always key for us with our busy schedules!
Ingredients
2 lbs. chicken (I used breast & bone-in legs, skins removed)
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons ghee, divided (or healthy cooking fat of choice)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
6-7 whole tomatoes, skins removed or 1 can whole tomatoes
5 dried new mexico chilies, chopped and rehydrated
1/4 cup almond butter
2.5 ounces dark chocolate (I used the TJs salt & pepper, see photo above)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon guajillo chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
Avocado, cilantro & jalapeno for garnish
- Place a pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon ghee. Once ghee has liquefied, add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer onions & garlic to slow-cooker.
- Salt & pepper chicken generously. Add remaining tablespoon of ghee to pan and brown chicken on all sides. You may need to do this in batches. Once chicken is browned, place in slow-cooker.
- Add the tomaotes,chilies, almond butter, dark chocolate, salt & spices to the slow-cooker. If you really want to take this to the next level, you can blend the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor first. I was too lazy to do this step, and the recipe still turned out delicious! However, I did open the lid once half way through to stir all the ingredients together.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is tender & pulls apart easily.
- Remove bones, if you used any bone-in chicken. Top with your favorite garnishes & serve!
Wow! I can’t believe you forego the coconut oil, coconut cream, almond butter, macadamia nuts, wine, sea salt, fair trade coffee, etc. Plus, the dark chocolate lovers bar is my favorite, as is Mark Sisson’s, but thanks for pointing out the soy lecithin. Didn’t realize it.
Can’t wait to try the mole.
Hi Jennifer! I actually do get wine there too & I never leave there without a chocolate bar! I am not too picky about soy lecithin in my dark chocolate, but I was excited to try this one, since it didn’t have it. It did end up being better to cook with, it didn’t have that silky smoothness of a regular chocolate bar.
Hope you like the mole! We thought it turned out super good!
This looks truly delicious. I’ve been looking for a mole for a while now that doesn’t have a billion ingredients and take forever to make….this ingredient list is perfect for me! And I love that it’s a slow cooker recipe. I put it on my menu for next week – I’ll let you know what we think!
Hi Carrie! It turned out really good. If you make it, definitely let me know what you think!
This looks so good! I’m so happy to find a paleo blog that is both beautiful and full of good recipes!
I hope you check my blog out sometimes! I love to connect with other paleo eating people. Although, I’m not terribly strict with my paleo eating habits.
xo
This looks great! Think I’m going to make it for Valentine’s Day for a festive, chocolate-y dish. Thanks!
Hi Sarah! Let me know how it goes! Hope you like it!
I’ll definitely make this, but with unsweetened chocolate (since I try to save sugar for special occasions).
Can’t wait to give mole a try. My students always rave about their mom’s homemade mole. My time to rock my slow-cooker!