Chicken Breasts in Ginger Mole

Ingredients

• For the ginger mole:
• 2 ancho chiles, seeded and deveined
• 1 pasilla chile, seeded and deveined
• 2 guajillo chiles, seeded and deveined
• 1 plum tomato
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves, skins left on
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, shredded on a box grater
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Sea salt
• For the chicken breasts:
• Four 7-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Salt and black pepper
• Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1. For the ginger mole: Set a large skillet over medium heat and leave it dry. Once it is hot, add only enough chiles to sit in 1 layer. Toast them for 1 to 2 minutes, turning now and then, until they soften and smell aromatic. Watch closely so they do not scorch. Move them aside as they finish, and do the same with the rest of the chiles.
2. Move the oven’s top rack so it sits 6 inches from the broiler, then set the broiler to high. Arrange the onion, tomato, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and slide it under the broiler. Turn everything about every other minute. The onion half should brown at the edges and begin to soften in about 5 minutes. The tomato is ready when the skin is blackened all over and slips off easily, about 5 minutes. The garlic needs about 7 minutes, until the skins are browned and the cloves inside feel very soft.
3. Remove the skins from the tomato and garlic cloves. Put them in a blender with the chiles, onion, grated ginger, sesame seeds, peppercorns, and water. Pause for a minute or so so the hot ingredients are not quite so steamy, and use care when you blend. Run the blender on high until the sauce is smooth, which should take a couple minutes.
4. Add two tablespoons of oil to a medium saucepan and warm it over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the blended mixture carefully, since it can splatter. Stir thoroughly, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat so it simmers. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the mole has thickened a bit. Add salt to taste. Once it is ready, cover the pan and lower the heat to very low so the sauce stays warm.
5. For the chicken breasts: Put one chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound it with a meat mallet until the thickness is even and measures 1/2-inch. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper.
6. Add the two tablespoons of oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lay in as many chicken breasts as fit comfortably in a single layer, usually two. Cook for three to four minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn each piece over, lower the heat to medium, and continue cooking for another three to four minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. Transfer the cooked chicken breasts aside, then cook any remaining chicken the same way.
7. Arrange the chicken breasts on four plates. Spoon the warm ginger mole over the top, then finish with sesame seeds. Serve this with white rice and/or warm corn tortillas.