Mole verde – chicken in green pumpkin-seed and herb sauce

Ingredients for 4 portions

• 1 kgChicken legs, split into drumsticks and thighs
• ≈ 2 lWater
• ½Yellow onion, in two pieces
• 3 clovesGarlic
• to tasteSalt
• 130 gPumpkin seeds, hulled
• 500 gTomatillo, husked
• 3Serrano chiles
• ½Lettuce, a few leaves
• 25 gCoriander
• 3 sprigsEpazote
• 1 tbspRapeseed oil

On the side

• 12Corn tortillas

Method

1. Put the chicken in a large pot with the water, one piece of onion, 1 garlic clove and some salt. Bring to the boil and skim.
2. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until they swell and start to pop but do not brown. Leave to cool.
4. Put the tomatillos and chillies in a pan, cover with water and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the tomatillos turn olive green.
5. Drain the tomatillos and chillies and blend them with the pumpkin seeds, the other piece of onion, the rest of the garlic, the lettuce, coriander, epazote and 500 ml of the chicken broth until completely smooth.
6. Heat the oil in a wide pan, pour in the sauce (careful, it spits) and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes.
7. Lift the chicken out of the broth. Thin the sauce with about 500 ml more broth and simmer over a very low heat for 15 minutes, stirring now and then – don't let it boil hard or it will split. Season with salt.
8. Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and let them heat through for 5 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan and wrap them in a tea towel.
10. Serve the chicken with plenty of mole verde and the warm tortillas.

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