Ingredients:

  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (approx. 1.2kg)
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 0.5 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 large white onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 dried Ancho chilies, stemmed, seeded, and soaked
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 75g Mexican Chocolate
  • 500ml low-sodium chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup ground toasted almonds
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp raisins

Instructions:

  1. Pat the chicken thighs bone-dry with paper towels. Season aggressively with salt and pepper. In your Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sear the chicken skin-side down until the fat renders and the skin becomes a shattering, golden crust (about 6-8 minutes). Flip and sear for 3 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
  2. Reduce heat to medium. In the remaining chicken fat, sauté the onions until translucent and slightly browned at the edges. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for 1 minute until fragrant but not brown.
  3. Place the soaked chilies, raisins, ground almonds, and 500ml of the chicken broth into a blender. Blitz until completely smooth. Pour this mixture into the Dutch oven, scraping up any browned bits (fond) from the bottom.
  4. Stir in the Mexican chocolate. Once the chocolate has melted into a glossy, mahogany-colored pool, return the chicken to the pot. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
  5. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of cooking to help the sauce tighten up.
  6. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for 5 minutes.
  7. Spoon a generous amount of the chocolate sauce over the chicken. Garnish with a few extra toasted almonds or a sprinkle of sesame seeds if you’re feeling fancy.