Chicken Mole Casserole

A few years ago I would have looked at the title of this recipe and said to myself, "EEW, who would put moles in a recipe? Is this a Depression-era recipe?" Because my grandmother had a cookbook that contained recipes for stewed squirrels, raccoons, and other hapless animals you might run into while eking out your existence and trying not to starve during the Depression. But now, gourmet that I am, I realize that word is pronounced "moe-LAY," and that it is Mexican, and that it means it has cocoa in it. We actually had this recipe last week, and I got side-tracked and forgot that I hadn't posted it yet until I was looking in this magazine for this week's recipes. As I was making this, I realized that Nathan and Emma would not eat this, so they had chicken nuggets. From Feb/March 2011 Simple & Delicious.

Chicken Mole Casserole
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium green pepper, cut into strips
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp baking cocoa
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 1/8 tsp because I am a wimp)
2 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 jar (16 oz) chunky salsa
1 tube (10.2 oz) Pillsbury Grands refrigerated flaky biscuits
2 tsp butter, melted
3/4 tsp cornmeal

In a large skillet, saute the chicken, green pepper, and onion in butter until chicken juices run clear and vegetables are tender. Add the cocoa, brown sugar, and spices; cook and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in corn and salsa; heat through. Transfer to a greased 11x7 baking dish.

Cut each biscuit in half (vertically, not horizontally). Arrange biscuit pieces over chicken mixture with cut sides facing outer edge of dish, overlapping slightly (mine didn't). Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with cornmeal. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

My biscuits were quite brown before they were cooked all the way, at like 15 minutes. So you might have to cover with foil during the last few minutes of baking time. Okay so once this was done, I would say it was just "OK." There just didn't seem to be much to it, I guess. Just chicken and corn. The sauce was definitely different, and flavorful, and a bit spicy, but overall the dish wasn't great. I have dozens and dozens of chicken recipes that I like way more than this one, so I'm not going to keep it.