Heart Healthy Chicken Mole

Although not all chicken mole is healthy, this one is. At only 306 calories per serving, this is the perfect low calorie chicken recipe to make when you’re craving bold flavors. By using lean chicken breasts, it keeps the saturated fat low. The rest of the fat in the dish is of the heart healthy variety, coming from a small amount of olive oil and almonds. This shredded chicken recipe also has nutrient-rich vegetables, including onions, garlic, tomatoes and chipotle peppers. Using whole grain tortillas adds fiber. 

Mole sauce can sometimes be loaded with oil, but to make our mole sauce healthy, we used just a small amount of olive oil as the base and then added lots of vegetables like onions, garlic and tomatoes. The unsweetened chocolate keeps the sugar count low. There are only enough almonds added to provide flavor without raising the fat or calorie count too much. The low sodium chicken broth and canned tomatoes keep the sodium level in check.

Mexican food can be healthy when prepared with fresh ingredients like vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Some healthier Mexican dishes are Grilled Chicken Tacos, Fish Tacos, Black Bean Soup, and Black Bean Quinoa Salad. A chicken mole dish can be healthy depending on its preparation. Look for recipes that use lean chicken, minimal sugar and not a lot of added fat or sodium.