Chicken Molé Tacos W/ Jalapeno Sauce And House Made Salsa Roja

Although I love molé, I do not love making it from scratch. Therefore, we will be using pre-made molé for this easy peasy recipe. You can find molé in tiny glass jars in the ethnic isle of your grocery store. I remember my friends and I joking at the way our grandmothers would save these jars for drinking glasses and sometimes refer to them as “the good glasses”. So, by all means, save the glasses!

For The Salsa Roja:

1/4 yellow onion, peeled and diced

1 bunch cilantro, rough chopped

2 jalapeno, stem removed

1 tbs lime juice

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 – 28 oz can diced petite tomatoes

1/4 c water

Salt and white pepper to taste

The Jalapeno Sauce:

10 jalapeños, sliced and seeded

3 c water

1 tsp lime juice

2/3 c water

Salt to taste

The Pollo (chicken):

6 lg chicken thighs, deboned and skinned

1/2 tsp cumin

2/3 tbs chili powder

1 tbs garlic, crushed and minced

1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced

6 c water

The Rest:

2 tbs molé

1 ½ c chicken broth

8 flour tortillas

1 c queso fresco, crumbled

2 c cilantro, stems removed

You can start this off by preparing the salsa roja. It’s as easy as transferring all of the salsa ingredients to a blender and hitting puré. If you like a chunkier salsa, simply put the cilantro in first then, the rest ontop and pulse a couple of times. Once that’s done, immediately transfer to jars, seal and refrigerate until ready to use.

Let’s get the jalapeno sauce going now. Put the jalapeños in a medium sauce pot with water. Make sure the water is covering them. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to blender or food processor. Add lime juice, 2/3 c water and salt to taste. Pour into a jar, seal and refrigerate until ready to use.

Get the chicken ready by adding all of the ingredients to a sauce pot. We are going to boil this meat. (This is a common cooking method in Mexican cuisine.) Bring chicken to a boil then, reduce to a hard simmer. Cook for 30-45 minutes. During this time, heat your molé by adding the molé and chicken broth to a small sauce pan and allow to thicken over medium low heat, stirring often. Make sure you are blending the molé with the broth well, until it turns into a watery paste. Allow to cook for about 10-15 more minutes or until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency.

Once the chicken is done, remove from pot and allow to cool just enough to handle. Once cooled, shred into chunks and toss with the molé until completely covered. If the molé is too thick, simply add some of the liquid from the chicken pot, 1 tbs at a time.

Now, let’s put this together. Heat your tortillas on your comal, flat top, in the microwave, or maybe you’re like my mother and heat them right on the stove top burners. Arrange the tortillas on plates and add about 1/2 c of the molé coated chicken. Sprinkle with a little queso fresco and some cilantro leaves. Spoon some salsa roja and jalapeno sauce over the top and you’re done! That easy. If you’re looking for a spicier salsa recipe, check out my jackfruit taco recipe in the tacos section of my site. It’s FANTASTICO!