Mole Poblano (Chicken in Chile and Chocolate Sauce)
Local name: Mole poblano
In short: Chicken simmered in a dark, silky sauce of dried chiles, nuts, seeds, spices and a little chocolate. Rich, savory and slightly sweet. It takes about 3 h in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 1 h
- Cook
- 2 h
- Total
- 3 h
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Calories
- 650 kcal
Mole poblano is the dish many Mexicans think of first for weddings, baptisms and big family lunches. The sauce, from the state of Puebla, blends several dried chiles with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, spices and a little Mexican chocolate, which rounds off the bitterness instead of making the sauce sweet. It takes an afternoon, so cooks usually make a large batch. Serve it over chicken or turkey with rice and warm corn tortillas.
Instructions
- Put the chicken, onion, garlic, bay leaves and salt in a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (74°C/165°F). Lift out the chicken and strain the broth.
- Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Fry the chiles for 10 to 15 seconds per side, just until they puff and darken. Burnt chiles make the mole bitter, so watch closely.
- Cover the fried chiles with hot water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain, saving 250 ml (1 cup) of the soaking water.
- In the same pan, fry the almonds, peanuts, raisins and bread in separate batches, adding oil as needed, until each is golden. The raisins need only 30 seconds, until they puff. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for about a minute until golden.
- Char the tomatoes, unpeeled garlic and onion in a dry skillet for about 8 minutes, turning, until blistered and soft. Peel the garlic. Toast the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, aniseed and coriander in a dry pan for 30 seconds.
- Blend the chiles with the soaking water until smooth. In a second batch, blend the nuts, seeds, raisins, bread, tomatoes, garlic, onion and spices with 250 ml (1 cup) of the broth. Work in batches and push through a sieve for a silky sauce.
- Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chile puree, which will spatter, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the nut puree and cook 10 minutes more until the sauce darkens and thickens.
- Stir in 750 ml (3 cups) of the broth, the chocolate and the sugar. Simmer on low for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until the mole coats a spoon. Add broth if it thickens too much, and season with salt.
- Add the chicken and warm it in the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes until hot throughout.
- Serve each portion with a generous ladle of mole, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, rice and warm tortillas.
Tips
- No mulato chiles? Use extra ancho chiles and add a tablespoon of chopped prunes for the same dark, fruity depth.
- Turkey legs are traditional for big gatherings. Poach them for about 90 minutes first, then finish them in the sauce.
Questions and answers
Is mole poblano very spicy?
No. It is deeply flavored, with warmth rather than sharp heat. Most of the chile heat leaves with the seeds, and the nuts, fruit and chocolate soften what remains.
Can I make mole ahead of time?
Yes. Make the sauce up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate it. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it with broth when reheating. It also freezes for 3 months without the chicken.
Does mole poblano taste like chocolate?
Only faintly. The small amount of chocolate adds depth and balances the chile bitterness, so the sauce tastes savory, smoky and slightly sweet.
How long does it take to make Mole Poblano (Chicken in Chile and Chocolate Sauce)?
About 3 h in total: 1 h of preparation and 2 h of cooking.
How many calories are in Mole Poblano (Chicken in Chile and Chocolate Sauce)?
About 650 kcal per serving, with 40 g of protein, 26 g of carbohydrates and 43 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 650 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 40 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Fat | 43 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Sodium | 700 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
