Chicken mole poblano is one of Mexico’s most celebrated dishes, pairing tender chicken with a complex sauce of toasted chiles, spices, nuts, fruit, and cocoa.
Toast the chiles and aromatics gently, blend the sauce until smooth, and simmer it with the chicken so the flavors become deep, savory, and rounded.
Keep the chiles moving as they toast. They should smell fragrant and turn pliable, not blacken, or the mole will taste bitter.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with white rice, warm corn tortillas, sesame seeds, sliced onion, and a little fresh cilantro.
Recipe Notes
Mole keeps refrigerated for four days and freezes well. Reheat gently with a splash of stock to loosen the sauce.
Chicken Mole Poblano
Tender chicken simmered in a rich Mexican mole sauce made with toasted chiles, spices, nuts, and cocoa.
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Blender
- Dutch oven
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Mole Sauce
- 3 large dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
- 2 large dried pasilla chiles stemmed and seeded
- 2 cups hot water for soaking
- 1 medium yellow onion quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup almonds toasted
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds plus more to garnish
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp fine salt
Chicken
- 2 lb boneless chicken thighs
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
To Serve
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 8 small corn tortillas warmed
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
Toast and Blend:
- Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet for 30 to 45 seconds per side until fragrant. Transfer them to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 20 minutes.
- Toast the almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, and cumin briefly. Blend the softened chiles with the toasted ingredients, onion, garlic, raisins, cocoa, salt, tomatoes, and 1 cup of stock until smooth.
- Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
Simmer:
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Brown the chicken in batches, then return it all to the pot.
- Pour in the mole sauce and remaining stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Serve:
- Taste the mole and adjust salt or sweetness if needed. Spoon the chicken and sauce over rice.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro, and serve with warm tortillas.
Notes
- A small piece of dark chocolate can replace some of the cocoa for extra richness.
- Blend the sauce in batches if your blender is small, and vent the lid carefully when blending hot ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 560kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 38gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 890mgFiber: 7gSugar: 12g