Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 10 g kosher salt
- 5 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- 30 ml vegetable oil
Chili Nut Sauce
- 3 ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
- 2 guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
- 100 g walnuts, raw, shelled
- 100 g roasted peanuts, unsalted
- 200 g roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 150 g white onion, chopped
- 4 garlic, peeled
- 750 ml chicken broth, warm
- 3 g ground cumin
- 2 g mexican oregano
- 2 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground cloves
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 1350 kcal
- Protein
- 110 g
- Carbohydrates
- 39 g
- Fat
- 87 g
- Fiber
- 22 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 4807 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 19 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 34 g
- Cholesterol
- 2 mg
- Potassium
- 1205 mg
- Calcium
- 242 mg
- Iron
- 16.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 178 mg
- Phosphorus
- 1599 mg
- Zinc
- 4.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 842 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 12 mg
- Vitamin E
- 11.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 3.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 8.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.42 mg
- Riboflavin
- 1.32 mg
- Niacin
- 14.2 mg
- Folate
- 355 mcg
- Water
- 433 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Using a chef's knife and cutting board, cut the whole chicken into 8 pieces: 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 2 wings. Pat dry and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Wash your hands, knife, and cutting board thoroughly after handling raw poultry to prevent cross-contamination.
In a dry skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the dried ancho and guajillo chilies for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant, turning frequently so they do not burn. Transfer to a small mixing bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 15 minutes to soften.
In the same skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts and peanuts for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan continuously, until golden brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Using tongs, sear the chicken pieces in batches, skin side down first, for 5 to 7 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and leave the rendered fat in the pot.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the Dutch oven and saute for 5 minutes until translucent, scraping up any browned bits from the chicken.
Drain the soaked chilies, discarding the soaking liquid. In a blender, combine the softened chilies, toasted walnuts, toasted peanuts, tomatoes, sauteed onion and garlic, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and cloves. Blend on high speed for at least 2 minutes until completely smooth.
Pour the blended chili-nut sauce back into the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Return the seared chicken pieces to the pot, turning them to ensure they are fully submerged in the sauce.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and braise for 35 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the nut sauce from scorching on the bottom. The chicken is done when it is tender and reaches an internal temperature of 74 degrees C or 165 degrees F.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the dish rest for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to settle. Serve hot with warm tortillas or rice.
Chef's Notes
- Toasting dried chilies awakens their volatile oils, but watch them closely; even slightly blackened chilies will impart a harsh, acrid bitterness to the final sauce.
- For the smoothest sauce, blend the mixture in batches if necessary, and process on high speed for at least 2 minutes. If your blender is not high-powered, you may want to pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer before simmering.
- Searing the chicken skin-side down renders out the fat, which provides an incredible savory flavor base for sauteing the aromatics.
- Discarding the chili soaking liquid removes excess bitterness. Do not be tempted to use it in place of the chicken broth.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. Flavors will deepen significantly overnight.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze in an airtight container. The nut sauce freezes well but may need a splash of water when reheating to restore texture.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until the chicken reaches 74 degrees C or 165 degrees F.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is too thick or sticking to the bottom of the pot
Cause: Nut-based sauces thicken significantly as they reduce and the starches release
Fix: Stir in warm chicken broth 50ml at a time until the desired consistency is reached
Prevention: Stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon during the braise
Sauce tastes bitter and acrid
Cause: The dried chilies or the nuts were burnt during the toasting phase
Fix: Cannot be fixed completely, but adding a small amount of sugar or honey can slightly mask mild bitterness
Prevention: Toast chilies and nuts over medium heat and watch them constantly, removing them immediately once fragrant
Cultural Context
This dish is inspired by traditional Mexican Encacahuatado (peanut mole) and Pipian sauces, which date back to pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica where ground seeds and nuts were used to thicken complex chili broths. The addition of walnuts creates a slightly creamier, richer profile that pairs beautifully with the earthy guajillo and sweet ancho chilies.
