Favorite Chili

Prep Time: 70 minutes
Cook Time: 90-120 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2011)
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV Season 12

You can get recipe (and video) with free subscription at ATK website for the next year.

This was not as good as I hoped. And it was more work than I wanted. The flavor was not quite what I expected. That may be because I used slightly less chili's - I'm not sure. The meat was good and the beans were good, but the overall flavor just wasn't great enough to warrant 70 minutes of work. I could probably do it faster, but it would still take a while, so I probably won't do this one again.

I wouldn't say that other people shouldn't try this recipe though. The flavors may appeal more to others.

Chicken Mole

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
Finish Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe (And Best International Recipe)

I've never had Chicken Mole before, but have always wanted to try it. I realized today that I had all the ingredients at home to make it (including the dried Anchos), so decided to try it. (Actually, I just remembered, I didn't have raisins, so skipped them.) I'm not sure what it supposed to taste like, but I liked it. The sauce was spicy, smoky and nutty at all once. Very good.

I know that CI recipes with sauces like this are often too saucy for me, so I saved half the sauce to freeze for later. That way I can cook the chicken in it another time without the work! It worked out perfectly, so that is a nice bonus to this recipe. I also only used 1 T of oil instead of 3, and it was fine.

For some reason, I find shredding chicken to be a pain, so I just cut it up with a knife. I tried to be messy about it though and tear through the pieces, so there were scraggly edges for picking up the sauce. I served this over rice and it was a very nice dinner.