Inspired by a recipe in The Gourmet Slow Cooker, this recipe serves 6, with black beans and rice on the side.
2 ancho or New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded (I leave a few seeds in)
2 cups chicken stock, divided
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large plum tomatoes, cubed
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 slice stale white or French bread, torn into small pieces
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into 1-inch cubes
Tear the chile peppers into flat pieces and place in a small bowl. Cover with 1 cup of the chicken stock, and let soak for 30 minutes.
Combine soaked chile peppers and soaking liquid, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, tomatoes, oil, onion, garlic, honey, salt, peanuts, bread and chipotles, plus the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth, in a blender or food processor, and purée into a smooth sauce.
In a 3- or 4-quart slow cooker, place the chicken pieces, and pour the peanut sauce on top. Stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 4 hours. Then, remove the lid, stir, and taste to adjust seasonings with more salt or black pepper, as needed. (If you left some of the pepper seeds in, the dish should be hot enough; if not, you might want to add some red pepper flakes.) Cook, uncovered, on HIGH for 1 hour.
Serve hot, with rice and beans or in a tortilla, or let cool completely and refrigerate. Reheat before serving.