Categories: Mexican
Ingredients
- Adobo-Rubbed Chicken
- 4 teaspoons chili powder, preferably made with New Mexico or ancho chiles (see Note)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- Mole Sauce
- 3 dried ancho or New Mexico chiles (see Note)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 medium tomatoes, quartered and seeded
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Sweet-&-Sour Vegetables
- 2 cups diced carrot
- 1 cup diced summer squash
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tostada shells (see Tip)
Directions
- To prepare adobo rub and chicken: Combine chili powder, lime juice, oil, cumin, onion powder, garlic power, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub 2 tablespoons of adobo rub generously all over chicken breasts (the remaining rub can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days). Let marinate for 30 minutes or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
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To prepare mole sauce: Tear chiles into pieces; discard stems and seeds. Place in a bowl, add boiling water and soak until the chiles are soft, about 30 minutes. Pour the chiles and soaking liquid into a blender. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, flour, sugar, cumin, pepper, cayenne to taste and cloves; blend until smooth. Strain the sauce through a sieve to filter out any remaining seeds and skins, pressing out as much liquid as possible from the solids. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens and reduces to about 2 cups, 10 to 20 minutes. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
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To prepare sweet-&-sour vegetables: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add carrots and cook for 7 minutes. Add squash, vinegar, oregano, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Continue cooking until the vegetables are just tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain, transfer to a bowl and season with more pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
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About 20 minutes before you’re ready to grill the chicken, preheat grill to medium.
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Oil the grill rack (see Tips). Grill the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes and slice into ½-inch strips.
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To assemble tostadas: Place 2 tostada shells on each plate. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the mole sauce over each tostada, then top each with about 2½ tablespoons of the vegetables. Divide the chicken among the tostadas and drizzle with more mole sauce. Serve with taco garnishes as desired.