Chicken with Quick Mole Sauce

I recently returned from a trip to Mexico.  Sometimes when I travel, I come home longing for traditional American food. Other times, I am still craving the cuisine of the country I have been visiting. The latter is true for this recent trip to Mexico.  The traditional Mexican dishes made with fresh ingredients (which we lack in the middle of winter in land locked Colorado) are so good. One of the Mexican dishes I love is mole.  Traditional mole is difficult to make, so I started looking for an easy mole sauce.  Here is an adaption from a recipe I found on-line at Eating Well.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs with fat trimmed off
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic,  minced
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (the original recipe called for semisweet chocolate chips and I thought this gave the dish a sweet note that would be better eliminated with the use of dark chocolate.)
1 Tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seed

Instructions

Season chicken with pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides - about 6 - 8 minutes total.
Transfer chicken to plate.
Reduce heat to medium.
Add remaining 1 Tablespoon oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and remaining salt to the pan. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomato sauce, broth, chocolate chips and peanut (or almond) butter. Stir to combine. Bring to simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat chicken with the sauce.
Simmer, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 - 10 minutes more.
Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.