Chicken with Chocolate-Espresso-Sauce and Orange Mashed Potatoes

Chicken. Chocolate. Doesn´t necessarily go together too well - on the first thought, at least. My first encounter to this, let´s say, special flavour combo was during a visit to my "second parents" in Utah. The mexican culture is very present there, and my mum is a total fan of "chicken mole", a chicken with a dark chocolate sauce, pretty spicy.

I wanted to try this out, too, but with a slighty more sophisticated touch. Instead of a stew (like the mexicans do it), I kept the chicken breast whole, and served it with mashed potatoes. To balance to chocolate and its sweetness, I combined the sauce with espresso for the hearty flavours, and kicked up the mashed potatoes with some orange. Nothing better than dark chocolate and orange, right? And what works in chocolate bars also works in "real food". Here´s the proof:


This is something for special occassions, and when you want to impress people. Trust me. This will get you all the Aaaahs and Ooooohs.

Recipe for Chicken with Chocolate-Espresso-Sauce
and Orange Mashed Potatoes


Ingredients for 2

500g potatoes, starchy
1 orange, peel and juice
knob of butter
sip of milk (warm)
salt and pepper
2 chicken breasts
butter oil
2 pieces of chocolate
50ml espresso
200mlchicken stock
200ml red wine


Preparation

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, peel potatoes.
3. Add salt to the boiling water, cook potatoes for about 20 minutes.
4. Clean chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Sear in butter oil.
6. Quench with chicken stock and red wine. Cover with lid, and let cook on medium heat for about 12 minutes.
7. Drain potatoes. Mash with masher, adding orange peel, orange juice and warm milk, as much as you need to get a smooth consistency.
   
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Remove chicken from pan, add chocolate and espresso. Let melt.
   
10. To serve, pile mashed potatoes on one side of the plate, and sprinkle with freshly ground pink pepper.
11. Lay chicken aside, and drizzle with chocolate espresso sauce.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!