Mole Poblano (Chicken in Complex Chilli-Chocolate Sauce)

About This Recipe

Mole poblano is the most revered sauce in Mexican cuisine. Born in the convents of Puebla during the colonial era, it is a time-consuming labour of love involving multiple dried chillies (ancho, mulato, chipotle, pasilla), tomatoes, plantain or banana, pumpkin seeds, sesame, peanuts, raisins, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, black pepper and a small amount of dark chocolate. Each element is toasted, fried or simmered separately before being blended and slowly cooked together for hours. The result is a sauce of remarkable complexity — simultaneously earthy, smoky, fruity, spicy and subtly sweet, with the chocolate providing depth rather than sweetness. It is typically served with turkey or chicken. Making true mole poblano is a project, traditionally undertaken for weddings and feast days, but a simplified version using good dried chillies and quality dark chocolate captures its essential character.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1.5 kgchicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
• 4dried ancho chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 2dried mulato chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 2dried pasilla chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 1chipotle chilli in adobo
• 3plum tomatoes
• 1white onion, quartered
• 4garlic cloves
• 1ripe plantain or banana, sliced
• 40 gpumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 30 gsesame seeds
• 30 gblanched almonds
• 30 graisins
• 60 gdark chocolate (70%), chopped
• 500 mlchicken stock
• 4 tbsplard or vegetable oil
• 1cinnamon stick
• 2whole cloves
• 5black peppercorns
• 0.5 tspcumin seeds
• 1 tspdried oregano
• to tastesalt and sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast and soak dried chillies

   Toast dried chillies briefly in a dry pan (30 seconds per side) until fragrant. Soak in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve soaking water.

2. 2

   Char and sauté

   Char tomatoes, onion and garlic directly in a dry pan until blackened in spots. Fry plantain slices in lard until golden. Toast pumpkin seeds, sesame and almonds separately in a dry pan.

3. 3

   Blend

   Blend soaked chillies with some soaking water, charred tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle, fried plantain, toasted seeds, almonds, raisins, spices and oregano in batches with some chicken stock until very smooth.

4. 4

   Fry the sauce

   Heat lard in a large heavy pot. Pour in the blended sauce — it will spit. Stir constantly and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until darkened.

5. 5

   Add stock and chocolate

   Add remaining chicken stock, chocolate and salt. Stir until chocolate is melted. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring often, until the mole is thick and glossy. Taste — adjust sweetness with a pinch of sugar if needed.

6. 6

   Cook chicken

   In a separate pan, brown seasoned chicken pieces in oil. Transfer to the mole sauce and simmer together for 25–30 minutes until cooked through. The mole should coat the chicken generously.

Variations

• •

  Mole negro: the Oaxacan black mole adds more chillies, charred tortilla and more chocolate.

• •

  Serve over turkey for the traditional Día de los Muertos feast version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Mole sauce freezes beautifully for up to 6 months. Make a large batch and freeze in portions.

Frequently Asked Questions