As a chocolate lover, I often gravitate to mole sauces as it gives you an excuse to eat chocolate (in this case dark chocolate) for your entrée! While making mole can be labor-intensive this is an easier version that still captures the unique mole flavor. This is made in a slow cooker, making it perfect for a Sunday evening meal on a cold winter night.
Don’t forget the avocado and goat cheese – these two additions complement the mole sauce nicely.
Turkey Mole Chili
Ingredients
- 2 ancho chiles
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onions finely chopped
- 4 ounces 1 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons chile powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes drained
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 24 ounces 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 whole boneless skinless turkey breast about 4 pounds, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 avocados cubed
- 8-10 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- 6 scallions green onions, including the light green tops, finely chopped
Instructions
- Seed the ancho chiles and tear them into flat pieces. In a frying pan over high heat, warm the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chiles and fry just until they being to darken and release a pungent aroma, 15-20 seconds. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the onions and almonds, and sauté just until golden, 6-8 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon and sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds longer. Stir in the tomatoes, chocolate, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) of the chicken stock. Continue stirring until the chocolate has melted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender (do not use a hand blender – too messy), add the reserved chiles, and process until smooth; you may need to process in batches. Transfer the purée to a slow cooker and stir in the remaining 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) of chicken stock. Add the turkey breast chunks and turn to coat evenly. Cover and cook on the low setting for 4 hours, stirring once or twice if possible. The turkey should be very tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the turkey to a wide, shallow bowl. Using 2 forks (or your hands), shred the turkey and then return it to the sauce.
- Serve at once in bowls with avocado, goat cheese and scallions on top.
Notes
- Can be made 1 day ahead and reheated on top of the stove or in the oven (covered).
- Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Alternately, chili could be cooked on top of the stove in a Dutch oven on low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Alternately, chili could be cooked on top of the stove in a Dutch oven on low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Source: Variation of a recipe from Williams-Sonoma’s The New Slow Cooker: Fresh Recipes for the Modern Cook (2010)
This dish is fabulous! It has very interesting flavors. And it doesn’t feel as heavy as some of the beef or pork dishes that I typically cook in the crock pot. It’s a good recipe to make for company. They will rave about it.
This was a fabulous dinner for the Super Bowl. Love the avocado and goat cheese on top and the flavors mixed so well together. We halved the turkey (as the one we found was only 2 lbs) and added a 15oz can of great northern beans. Yum!
I like the bean addition!