Red Chile Broth with Chicken and Epazote
Mole EpazoteTeresita's Restaurant in Puebla City, about 90 miles southeast of Mexico City, served this excellent soupy type of mole in deep earthenware soup bowls. The mole followed appetizers of quesadillas and soft tacos. Be sure to add small chunks of avocado and a squirt of lime juice to the soup at the table to heighten the flavor. If you can't find fresh epazote, use dried epazote that's found in most Mexican grocery stores.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- 2 skinless chicken breast halves on the bone
- 4 cups canned fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 4 small guajillo chiles toasted and seeded
- ¼ medium white onion coarsely chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove sliced
- 2 plum tomatoes quartered
- 8 epazote leaves chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried epazote
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 large avocado Hass variety preferred, peeled and diced
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Put the chicken breasts in a pan with the chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the broth to cool.
- Cover to keep moist.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chiles.
- Put in a bowl with hot water to cover.
- Soak 20 minutes.
- Transfer the soaked chiles to a blender and discard the soaking water.
- Add the onion, garlic, tomato, epazote, oregano, and 1 cup of the chicken broth from cooking the chicken to the blender.
- Blend as smoothly as possible.
- Pour the puréed chile mixture through a strainer into the pan with the remaining broth, pressing to extract all the juices.
- Discard the seeds and pulp left in the strainer.
- Bring the chile broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes to cook the onion and tomato and blend the flavors.
- Coarsely shred the chicken and discard the bones.
- Add the shredded chicken to the chile broth, and season with salt.
- Heat through and serve hot.
- Pass diced avocado and fresh lime wedges at the table.
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