Flavourful and healthy mole chicken bowls with pineapple avocado salsa and rice are perfect for cozy weeknight dinners. Chicken simmered in a homemade mole sauce consisting of onion, garlic, salt, Mexican spices, chipotles, fire-roasted tomatoes, almonds, dates, and cocoa is the star of these wholesome bowls.

high angle overhead shot of the bowl of mole chicken rice, and pineapple avocado salsa

Hi, hi! Here I am again, apologizing for my lack of consistency in the posting department. Major facepalm!

We had a lovely Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. I had one last 16 km run on Saturday, a “shorter” long run in the lead-up to my marathon next Sunday. We then had our family Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, brother, sister in law, and niece on Saturday evening. My mom made a curry hummus for an appy, and I made a turkey meatloaf, mashed sweet potatoes, kale honeycrisp apple salad, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin biscuits… and pumpkin spice cupcakes for dessert. It was the perfect harvest meal and it was so nice to spend some time with my four month-old niece. She’s such a happy girl and really was the life of the party.

Sunday I had to work, so it wasn’t the most exciting day. And then today, I spent the day at home and took it easy. I did some strength training, went for a walk, and made a dinner of shepherd’s pie and an autumn butternut squash, kale, and pomegranate salad.

Overall, it was a great, relaxing weekend, complete with an extra day off today for the Thanksgiving holiday.

While I suppose you could say that life has been pretty busy, I hate to use “busy-ness” as a crutch. We all have a lot on our plates. I prefer to describe life lately as “full,” what with wrapping up marathon training, working, and doing my best to maintain some semblance of balance in my life.

And yet, Up Beet Kitchen is such an important part of my life. Cheesy though it may sound, creating and publishing recipes gives my life purpose and meaning. Knowing that my recipes are helping to nourish and fuel people is truly heartwarming and such a privilege. Being able to reach and help so many people is one good thing about the internet!

Needless to say, it has been challenging not to have as much time to pour my heart into blogging these past few months. But there are only so many hours in a day and while I am usually a night owl, I have had to force myself to get some extra Zzzzs leading up to this race!

I promise that as soon as I run the marathon this weekend, I will be spending so much more time creating and sharing new recipes and doing some behind the scenes work to make this space better than ever.

At this point, I am just so excited to run the race and take two full weeks off from structured exercise… and have more time to dedicate to Up Beet Kitchen! For my plant-based followers, I can assure you that I have plenty of vegan and vegetarian recipes coming your way, too. I have certainly found animal protein to be hugely beneficial for my own health, but I also realize how many of you love and appreciate plant-based recipes. So fear not, I haven’t forgotten about you!

close up overhead shot of the chicken, rice, and salsa, and cabbage in a white bowl

But for now, let’s talk about these mole chicken bowls!

Those of you who have been reading for awhile might remember these mole cauliflower tacos that I shared back in 2021.

We loved that recipe, so I decided to rework it into a hearty chicken bowl. The mole sauce works beautifully with chicken, and the flavour and spice profile is just perfect for the cooler months. It is guaranteed to warm you right up!

While you might take a look at the ingredients list and quickly click away in search of a simpler recipe, I promise you that this recipe is easier and more basic than it looks. Most of the ingredients are spices. Furthermore, this recipe makes a large amount, enough for six servings. It is perfect for feeding a family!

what is mole sauce?

Mole sauce is a spicy, smoky Mexican tomato sauce with cocoa. No, this is not a chocolatey sauce and you will not taste the cocoa! The cocoa adds an incredible richness and depth of flavour while helping to mellow the sometimes sharp acidity of tomatoes. My sauce also includes Medjool dates to help mellow the acidity of the tomatoes.

overhead shot of the mole sauce in a skillet

ingredients in mole chicken bowls

For the mole sauce:

Extra-virgin olive oil
Yellow onion
Garlic
Salt
Spices: chili powder, cumin, thyme, smoked paprika, coriander, cloves, cinnamon sticks
Chipotles in adobo sauce
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes
Toasted almonds
Medjool dates
Cocoa
Water
Red wine vinegar

For the chicken:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika
Lime juice
Salt and pepper

For the pineapple avocado salsa:

Pineapple
Avocado
Cilantro
Red onion
Lime juice
Sea salt

For serving:

White rice
Greek yogurt
Steamed or raw veggies, such as kale or cabbage

overhead shot of the mole chicken in a skillet

how to make healthy mole chicken bowls

Marinate the chicken: Place the chicken in a bowl or container. Add one tablespoon of the oil, the garlic powder, smoked paprika, lime juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat and set aside for at least fifteen minutes. This step just helps to make the chicken more tender and flavourful.
Make the mole sauce: In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about eight minutes. Add the salt, chili powder, cumin, thyme, smoked paprika, coriander, and cloves. Cook two more minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks, chipotles, and fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Simmer over medium-low heat for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
Transfer into a blender and add the toasted almonds, dates, cocoa, and water. Blend until mostly smooth; some texture is okay.
Return the mole sauce to the pan and add the red wine vinegar. Simmer over low heat while you prep the chicken.
Cook the chicken: In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, or until cooked through and it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.
Transfer the chicken into the mole sauce and keep warm until ready to enjoy.
Make the pineapple avocado salsa: In a bowl, combine the pineapple, avocado, cilantro, and red onion. Add a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat.
Serve: To serve, divide mole chicken, rice, veggies, and pineapple salsa between bowls. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream and enjoy!

process shot of the making of the pineapple avocado salsa

angled overhead shot of a mole chicken bowl on a striped blue towel

make-ahead and storage instructions

You can make these mole chicken bowls ahead of time. I would recommend storing the mole chicken, rice, veggies, and salsa separately and then reheating the chicken and rice in separate pots right before serving.

If packing for lunch, however, place individual portions of chicken and rice together in a glass container to reheat at lunch time. Pack some pineapple avocado salsa, Greek yogurt, and veggies in separate containers for topping.

The cooked chicken in mole sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

close up shot of the mole chicken in a bowl

more healthy bowl recipes

I hope that you love these mole chicken bowls! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post.

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Enjoy!