Name: Mexican Roast Chicken with Green Mole and Chorizo Beans
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (spatchcocked (1.8 to 2 kg / 4 to 4.5 pounds)); 30 g extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons); 12 g kosher salt (2 teaspoons); 4 g black pepper (1 teaspoon); 6 g paprika (2 teaspoons); 115 g pork chorizo (4 ounces); 30 g spring green garlic (sliced (1/4 cup)); 240 g cooked gigante beans (1 cup); 120 g chicken stock (1/2 cup); 14 g unsalted butter (1 tablespoon); 5 g fresh cilantro (chopped (1 tablespoon)); Kosher salt and black pepper to taste; 1 medium green zucchini (sliced lengthwise (about 300 g / 1 to 2 cups)); 2 Anaheim peppers (about 150 g / 1 cup); 1 corn tortilla (charred); 4 garlic cloves; 15 g sultanas or raisins (1 tablespoon); 15 g walnuts (1 tablespoon); 14 g unsalted butter (1 tablespoon); 30 g fresh spinach (1/2 cup); 30 g fresh cilantro (1/2 cup); 2 g ground cumin (1 teaspoon); 120 to 240 g chicken stock (as needed for blending (1/2 to 1 cup)); 15 g lime juice (1 tablespoon); Kosher salt to taste; 1 tablespoon black and white sesame seeds

Smoky Spatchcock Chicken with Spring Green Mole, Chorizo Gigante Beans, and South Texas Inspiration

There are certain dishes that immediately bring me back home. Mole is one of them.

Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, mole was always around. My grandma would make mole negro with chicken , and refried beans were just part of life. Those flavors stick with you forever. Smoky chiles. Warm spices. Soft beans cooked down with fat until creamy. Chicken roasted until the skin crackles.

This recipe is my springtime version of those memories.

Instead of a dark mole packed with dried chiles and chocolate, this one leans bright green and fresh. Charred zucchini becomes the base, blended with Anaheim peppers, cilantro, spinach, toasted tortilla, garlic, cumin, and a little butter for richness. It still eats like a mole, but it feels lighter and greener, perfect for spring and early summer.

The chorizo gigante beans bring the comfort. Pork chorizo cooked with green garlic and buttery gigante beans creates something halfway between refried beans and a brothy braise.

I spatchcock the bird, sear it hard in cast iron under pressure, then roast it until deeply bronzed and juicy. It is the same kind of aggressive roasting technique I learned working in restaurant kitchens in Seattle. At places like Palace Kitchen in Seattle , we used squash constantly for silky sauces like this, especially during spring when the markets exploded with greens.

This dish feels like both worlds colliding. South Texas flavors through a Pacific Northwest lens.

Rich but bright. Smoky but fresh. Rustic but still chef-y.

Why This Green Mole Works

Traditional mole is all about balance. Bitter, sweet, spicy, savory, smoky.

This green version keeps that philosophy while using spring produce.

The charred zucchini gives body and buttery texture. The Anaheim peppers add mellow heat. The tortilla thickens the sauce naturally while adding toasted corn flavor. Raisins and walnuts round everything out with sweetness and depth.

Blending the sauce for a full five minutes is important. That is what gives it the silky restaurant texture.

Ingredients

For the Spatchcock Chicken

1 whole chicken, spatchcocked — 1.8 to 2 kg (4 to 4.5 pounds)
Extra virgin olive oil — 30 g (2 tablespoons)
Kosher salt — 12 g (2 teaspoons)
Black pepper — 4 g (1 teaspoon)
Paprika — 6 g (2 teaspoons)

For the Chorizo Gigante Beans

Pork chorizo — 115 g (4 ounces)
Spring green garlic, sliced — 30 g (1/4 cup)
Cooked gigante beans — 240 g (1 cup)
Chicken stock — 120 g (1/2 cup)
Unsalted butter — 14 g (1 tablespoon)
Fresh cilantro, chopped — 5 g (1 tablespoon)
Kosher salt and black pepper — to taste

For the Spring Green Mole

Green zucchini, sliced lengthwise — 1 medium zucchini, about 300 g (1 to 2 cups)
Anaheim peppers — 2 peppers, about 150 g (1 cup)
Corn tortilla, charred — 1 tortilla
Garlic cloves — 4 cloves
Sultanas or raisins — 15 g (1 tablespoon)
Walnuts — 15 g (1 tablespoon)
Unsalted butter — 14 g (1 tablespoon)
Fresh spinach — 30 g (1/2 cup)
Fresh cilantro — 30 g (1/2 cup)
Ground cumin — 2 g (1 teaspoon)
Chicken stock, as needed for blending — 120 to 240 g (1/2 to 1 cup)
Lime juice — 15 g (1 tablespoon)
Kosher salt — to taste

To Finish

Black and white sesame seeds — 1 tablespoon

How to Make Mexican Roast Chicken with Green Mole

Step 1: Spatchcock and Roast the Chicken

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Pat the chicken dry thoroughly. Rub with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin-side down in the skillet. Put another heavy skillet on top to press the chicken flat.

Sear until the skin is deeply browned and crisp.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 160°F, about 35 to 45 minutes depending on size.

Flip the chicken near the end of cooking and roast uncovered briefly to deepen the top color.

Rest before serving.

Step 2: Make the Chorizo Beans

Place the chorizo and sliced green garlic into a sauté pan over medium heat.

Cook until the chorizo is browned and the garlic softens.

Add the gigante beans and stock. Simmer until reduced and glossy.

Finish with butter and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The final texture should feel rich and lightly brothy, not dry.

Step 3: Make the Green Mole

Score the zucchini flesh lightly with a knife. Rub with olive oil and salt.

Grill or roast the zucchini and Anaheim peppers until softened and lightly charred.

Char the tortilla directly over flame or in a dry pan until deeply toasted.

Add the zucchini, Anaheim peppers, tortilla, garlic, raisins, walnuts, butter, spinach, cilantro, cumin, and stock to a blender.

Blend on high speed for about 5 minutes until extremely smooth and silky.

Adjust consistency with more stock if needed.

Season with lime juice and salt to taste.

Step 4: Plate the Dish

Spoon the chorizo gigante beans into a bowl or shallow plate.

Spoon the green mole generously over the chicken.

Finish with black and white sesame seeds.

Place the roasted chicken over the beans.

Serve immediately.

Chef Notes

This mole works especially well with spring produce because zucchini becomes naturally creamy when blended.
Anaheim peppers give warmth without overpowering the sauce.
Blending longer than you think is the difference between homemade texture and restaurant texture.
Gigante beans are ideal because they stay creamy without falling apart.
You can substitute cannellini beans if needed.
If you want deeper smokiness, grill everything over charcoal.
This mole is also incredible with pork, shrimp, or grilled mushrooms.