Mexican · Free recipe
Mole Poblano
The legendary complex sauce from Puebla, blending dried chiles, spices, nuts, and a touch of chocolate into a glossy, deeply flavored coating for tender chicken. A true labor of love.
Step 1
Put the chicken pieces in a large pot, cover with water, add 1 teaspoon salt, and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes until cooked through. Lift out the chicken and save the broth.
Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the mulato, ancho, and pasilla chiles a few at a time for about 20 seconds per side, just until fragrant. Do not let them blacken, or the mole will taste bitter.
Step 3
Move the fried chiles to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 20 minutes until soft.
Step 4
In the same skillet, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside a spoonful for garnish.
Step 5
Add the almonds, raisins, and torn tortilla to the skillet and cook a few minutes until the almonds are lightly golden and the tortilla is toasted. Remove to a plate.
Step 6
Add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to the skillet and cook until softened and blistered, about 6 minutes.
Step 7
Working in batches, blend the soaked chiles, toasted sesame seeds, almonds, raisins, tortilla, tomato mixture, cinnamon, and cloves with 2 cups of the reserved broth until very smooth.
Step 8
Pour the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing hard to extract all the smooth sauce and leaving the grit behind.
Step 9
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large deep pot over medium heat. Carefully pour in the strained mole; it will bubble and splatter, so stand back and stir constantly for 5 minutes.
Step 10
Add the chopped chocolate and stir until it melts into the sauce. Pour in another 1 to 2 cups broth until the mole is the thickness of heavy cream.
Step 11
Lower the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring often so it does not stick, until the mole is glossy and deeply flavored. Season with the remaining salt.
Step 12
Add the cooked chicken pieces, spoon the mole over them, and warm through for 10 minutes.
Step 13
Serve the chicken smothered in mole, sprinkled with the reserved toasted sesame seeds, with warm rice on the side.
Tips from the test kitchen
- Stir constantly while the mole simmers; it scorches easily on the bottom.
- Mole freezes beautifully, so make a big batch and save some.
