Okra Rice with Chicken & Mole Orange Sauce
Submitted by mbenrod
Seared chicken breast with Mexican ancho mole-orange sauce served alongside okra rice with wild rice, almonds, and cilantro-yogurt finish. Layered weeknight dinner.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minThis is an ambitious weeknight dinner that treats two components with equal care: an almond-studded okra rice pilaf and a seared chicken breast draped in a bright orange-mole sauce.
Toasting the almonds first in the dry pan is what gives the rice its deep, nutty foundation. Those golden bits fold through the whole dish.
The mole-orange sauce leans on commercial mole paste (ancho-based is ideal) thinned with fresh orange juice. Store-bought mole paste is a legitimate shortcut, a traditional made-from-scratch mole takes hours and dozens of ingredients.
Stirring yogurt and parmesan into the finished rice off-heat is the quiet genius move. It pulls together the pilaf with a creamy tang that balances the spicy-sweet mole beautifully.
Positioning the okra on top of the rice so the starch covers it during cooking is key. This prevents the okra from going slimy while still letting it steam tender.
Chef Tips
- Use young, firm okra pods. Old tough pods stay stringy no matter how you cook them.
- Sear the chicken hard on one side before flipping. Flipping too early tears off the browning and gives you pale medallions.
- Reduce the orange-mole sauce just until spoon-coating consistency. Over-reduced mole turns gummy and overly sweet.
- Puddle extra sauce on the plate for tortilla dipping, as the original directions suggest. It’s too good to leave in the pan.
Variations
- Swap chicken for pork tenderloin medallions or seared duck breast for deeper flavor with the mole.
- Use brown basmati or jasmine rice in place of the wild and minute rice blend.
- Stir a square of dark chocolate into the mole sauce at the end for a richer, more traditional mole profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Warm a sauce pan and roast the almonds for about 3 minutes.
Add rice mix with seasoning package, additional fast cooking white rice, water, 1 tablespoon of butter substitute or a diet margarine.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat, add the green onions, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.
Add the sliced okra: position the okra so that it is covered by the rice and its cooking liquid.
Season with the Cre-ole blend. Continue to cook for another 7 minutes; adjust heat as necessary to puff the rice without overcooking the okra.
Juice one orange and stir in the commercial Mole’ paste made with ancho, etc.
Set aside.
Slice the chicken breast to cut 4 medallion-sized pieces.
Heat a ridged griddle or skillet over high.
Remove pan from heat and lightliy spray surface.
Return to the burner and sear chicken well on one side.
Season with freshly ground black pepper and sear the other side.
Add the orange juice and mole mixture to the pan; reduce the liquid to a sauce and occasionally ladle the sauce over the meat to keep it moist.
Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, quantity to taste.
Remove the rice mixture from the heat and add chopped cilantro to taste.
Then stir in the yogurt and the parmesan cheese; taste and season to taste.
Serve rice along side the chicken; drizzle the chicken with the sauce.
Also puddle some sauce on the plate for dipping with the tortilla.
Garnish with lime, more cilantro, more fresh pepper.
Goes well with a plain crisp salad with fresh lime.
Comments
