Ingredients

The Chicken:
1 large chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds) cut into serving pieces
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
1 small head of garlic, scored around the middle
4 fresh marjoram or oregano sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt to taste
The Sauce:
12 chiles guajillos or chilcostles
1/2 pound (about 2 small) tomatoes, stewed

4 tablespoons melted lard or safflower oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 whole cloves
2 whole allspice
1 medium white onion, thickly sliced
9 small garlic cloves, peeled
1 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken into thin strips
1 small ripe plantain, peeled and cut into thick rounds
3 slices French bread
1-ounce Mexican chocolate
Sea salt to taste
3 cups cooked white rice, seasoned
12 corn tortillas, warm

Directions

Put the chicken into a pan with the
onion, garlic, and herbs; cover with water and add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and
continue simmering until the chicken is just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the stems, if any, from the chiles, slit them open, and remove veins and seeds.
Toast the chiles on a hot comale for a few seconds on each side, pressing them down until
the inside flesh turns an opaque, tobacco color. Rinse the chiles in cold water, cover
with hot water, and set aside to soak for about 15 minutes.
Put the tomatoes into a blender jar and blend briefly. Heat 1 tablespoon of the lard and
fry the sesame seeds for a few seconds until a deep golden brown. Transfer with a slotted
spoon, draining them as much as possible, to the blender jar; add the oregano, cloves and
allspice and blend until smooth, adding a little more of the water in which the chiles
were soaking if necessary.
Add more lard to the pan and heat; add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent.
Add the cinnamon pieces and fry until the onions and garlic are lightly browned.
Transfer with a slotted spoon to the blender jar. Add the plantain and bread to the pan
and fry over low heat until a deep golden color; transfer to the blender jar. Adding more
chile water if necessary, blend until you have a smooth puree. Gradually add the soaked
chiles with more water as necessary and blend until smooth. When all the chiles have been
blended, dip a spoon into the bottom of the blender jar and take out a sample of the sauce

to see if the rather tough chile skins have been blended sufficiently. If not, add a
little more water, stir well, and then blend for a few seconds more.
Heat the remaining lard in a heavy pan or saute pan, add the blended sauce and chocolate,
and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent
sticking, for about 15 minutes. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth and the chicken pieces,
taste for salt, and cook for 15 minutes more. The sauce should be fairly thick and lightly
cover the back of a wooden spoon.
Serve with white rice and tortillas.

Directions