Moonlight: Chicken Mole with Black Beans and Rice Recipe
KEVIN (O.S.) Chef’s special.
Black spinning to find Kevin passing, moving behind him with a freshly plated meal — carries it across the diner floor, over to the booth abutting the diner window.
Black cocks his head in surprise, makes his way over to — THE BOOTH
Approaches a smiling Kevin, takes a look at the plate he’s made for him: black beans, white rice, a grilled chicken breast with mole coating.
BLACK: So you Cuban now?
KEVIN: Only in the kitchen, Papi. Sit down, nigga. Or you gon’ eat standin’ up?
Black complies, eases into the booth, eyes the food.
KEVIN: Want a drink?
BLACK: I don’t drink.
A huff from Kevin — more playful than skeptical — leaves the booth, heads back over to the counter. Black watches as Kevin roots around for something, comes back over with a half run bottle of red wine, something simple.
Sets a water glass down before each of them, settles in across from Black, pours.
KEVIN: Nigga I ain’t seen you in like a decade, you gon’ drink with me.
MOONLIGHT, SCREENPLAY, 2016
Before any movie, I really try to avoid any reviews or news regarding it. This was the case with Moonlight. I had no clue what the movie was about or who was it in it. Moonlight ended up being my favorite from all the Best Picture nominees this year for the Oscars. The three actors that portrayed Chiron were incredible.
The idea for this meal came from a scene towards the end of movie when Chiron met with Kevin at the diner he was working at. Kevin suggested he order the chef’s special which, according to the screenplay, is chicken mole with black beans and rice. I’ve never made mole before but I found a great recipe for it on EatingWell. Check out their site for the recipe. If you don’t want to make mole yourself, bottled mole can be easily found in supermarkets. Please enjoy.
Moonlight: Chicken Mole with Black Beans and Rice
Ingredients
Chicken Mole
- 4 chicken thighs boneless and trimmed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 - 8oz can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- salt and black pepper as needed
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Black Beans
- 1 - 15oz can black beans
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 yellow onion small dice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper as needed
Rice
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup long grain rice
- 2 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Chicken Mole
- Heat a cast iron grill on medium high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill each side of the chicken until you get nice grill marks. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Add the chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato sauce, chocolate, and almond butter. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and return the chicken back into the saucepan. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until your chicken is cooked through.
Black Beans
- In another saucepan over medium heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the onions and cook for 3 minutes until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the can of black beans and bring to a simmer. Taste to salt and pepper.
Rice
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat with the unsalted butter. Once melted, add the rice and cook for 1- 2 minutes tossing it in the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock and bring to a boil then back down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Let it side covered for 10 minutes off the heat.
- To plate, serve the chicken generously coated with the mole. Top with sesame seeds. Form the rice in a round plastic takeout container and unmold onto the place. Serve along side with the beans.
