Chicken in Peanut Sauce (Pollo Encacahuatado)
Pollo encacahuatado Say it: POH-yoh en-kah-kah-wah-TAH-doh
Pollo encacahuatado is a Puebla classic in which chicken pieces simmer gently in a thick sauce built from toasted peanuts, dried chiles and a little charred tomato. It belongs to the family of Mexican moles, yet it is quicker and homier than most — the kind of dish cooked at home on a Sunday. The sauce tastes nutty and faintly sweet, with slow warmth from guajillo and ancho chiles and a whisper of cinnamon and clove.
Chicken in Peanut Sauce (Pollo Encacahuatado)
Pollo encacahuatado
Pronounced POH-yoh en-kah-kah-wah-TAH-doh
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 15 min
- Level
- Medium
Also egg-free.
Allergens: contains peanuts, sesame. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the chicken
For the peanut sauce
Method
Toast the peanuts in a dry heavy skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan often, until golden brown and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Tip them onto a plate and set aside 3 tablespoons for the garnish.
In the same dry skillet, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for 20 to 30 seconds per side, until they puff slightly and smell toasty but do not darken, then cover them with hot water and soak for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, char the tomatoes, onion half and unpeeled garlic in the dry skillet over medium-high heat, turning now and then, until blackened in patches and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Slip off the garlic skins.
Drain the chiles and put them in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, oregano, cumin and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the broth. Blend to a smooth, glossy purée and set aside.
Rinse the blender, then purée the toasted peanuts with 1 cup (240 ml) of the broth until thick but still a little grainy, scraping down the sides as needed.
Pat the chicken dry and season with the salt. Heat the lard in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the pieces skin side down until deep golden, about 5 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.
Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat, add the chile purée and fry it over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it darkens and thickens, about 8 minutes. Stir in the peanut mixture and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot, until it darkens further and pulls away from the sides, 5 to 6 minutes.
Whisk in the remaining broth, return the chicken to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover partly and cook until the chicken is tender and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 30 to 35 minutes, adding a splash of broth if it thickens too much.
Taste and adjust the salt, then scatter the reserved toasted peanuts and the sesame seeds over the top and serve hot.
Regional variants
In Veracruz a chipotle chile is often added with the guajillos for a smoky edge, and some cooks blend a spoonful of toasted sesame seeds into the sauce for extra body. Pork loin can stand in for the chicken, simmered a little longer until sliceable.
Cook's notes
- Peanut purée scorches quickly once it meets the hot fat — stay at the stove and keep scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Toast the peanuts in a single layer and shake the pan often so they colour evenly; pale peanuts give a flat-tasting sauce.
- The sauce thickens a lot as it stands, so loosen leftovers with broth rather than water to keep the flavour full.
Serve with
Mexican red rice, warm corn tortillas and a spoonful of pickled jalapeños or sliced radishes.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and deepens overnight; reheat gently over low heat with a splash of broth.
