857- Chicken with Chocolate Sauce / الدجاج بصلصة الشوكولاتة

Ingredients :

For the Chicken thighs:
6 chicken legs
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
250 milliliters (1 cup) chicken stock
125 milliliters (1/2 cup) orange juice
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Sauce:
1 onion, cut into small cubes
1 medium tomato, grated
250 milliliters (1 cup) chicken stock
3 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried chives
1 teaspoon anise seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
30 grams walnuts, crushed
3 tablespoons raisins
60 grams (2 oz) dark chocolate 80%

To Serve:
Corn tortillas
Cilantro leaves
Cooked rice
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds to garnish

Directions :

Step 1: Preparing the chicken thighs
1- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and chilli pepper.
2- In a large pan over medium heat, heat up the vegetable oil, then add the seasoned chicken thighs. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side until the chicken is golden brown.
3- Add the orange juice, the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Continue cooking for 20 minutes until the sauce is reduced and the chicken thighs become golden brown and nicely caramelized. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Step 2: Preparing the sauce
4- In the same pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, onion, garlic and cook for 3 minutes until soft.
5- Add the dried chives, anise seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper. Continue cooking for 2 minutes until the spices are fragrant.
6- Pour the remaining chicken stock, tomato puree, chopped walnuts, and honey. Cook and stir from time to time using a wooden spoon for 15 minutes until the sauce becomes homogeneous. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool a little bit.
7- Transfer the sauce into a food processor and mix until the texture is smooth.
8- Put the sauce back in the pan. Add in the dark chocolate and raisins. Return to the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is completely melted into the sauce.
9- On a serving plate, place the chicken thighs and top with the chocolate sauce.
10- Garnish the chicken thighs with sesame seeds and some fresh cilantro leaves. Serve with corn tortillas or cooked white rice.