Tender chicken legs and thighs simmered in a creamy and earthy peanut sauce. Serve this Mexican dish along with rice and tortillas for a fulfilling meal.
Place all ingredients for cooking the chicken in a pot and cover with 1.5 inches of water. Set heat to high and bring to a boil.
2 pound chicken thighs and legs, 1 small onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, ½ Tablespoon salt
Cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is nicely tender.
Remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a plate covered. Then strain the broth and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large braising pan. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then add the chilies and spices, and sautè for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until tomatoes soften a bit.
Add 1 cup and half of the chicken broth and bring to a boil, low the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the ingredients to slightly cool down.
Transfer everything to a blender and add the toasted peanuts and 1 cup of chicken broth. Blend at high speed until you have a smooth sauce.
Add the sauce to the pan where you cooked the ingredients and pour 1-2 more cups of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook the sauce for 5 minutes.
Mix in the cooked chicken thighs and drumsticks, adjust salt to taste, and cook everything over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens to the consistency of gravy.
Serve with rice and tortillas.
Notes
If you want a smooth sauce you need to blend it for 4-5 minutes. But if you’d like the sauce to have a little “rustic” consistency, then just blend for 1 minute max.
The amount of spices that are listed in the ingredients can be adjusted and add less or more of those that you like the most.
The consistency of the sauce can vary also according to how long you leave it to boil. The longer, the thickest.