Authentic Mole Poblano with Chicken

Inside: Learn how to make mole poblano with chicken – one of the most famous and delicious Mexican recipes.

If you are really into Mexican cuisine, then you definitely have heard of the famous and authentic recipe called “mole.” It is a traditional Mexican dish that is consumed year-round, but especially during special events and holidays. Many people know it as a savory chocolate sauce, but that is a huge simplification of the complex flavor that this delicious dish has to offer. There is some Mexican chocolate in it, but once you see all of the different ingredients that it has, you will understand why this is so popular.

What is Mole?

Traditional mole is a thick, homemade sauce that consists of a lot of ingredients, including dry chili peppers like ancho chiles. Most of the ingredients are lightly toasted or fried which gives this mole recipe a smoky undertone to go with its sweetness.

The word mole comes from the Nahuatl word “milli” or “mulli” which means sauce and it is believed that it originated with the indigenous people of ancient Mexico. In that time, people would eat it as a sauce for turkey, but today it is more common to serve it with chicken. In addition, you can use the sauce to make delicious enchiladas that are always a huge hit.

There are so many different ways to make mole throughout Mexico. In fact, they say that there are over 100 ways to make it, but this particular recipe originated in the city of Puebla, hence the name “mole poblano.”

Mole is considered a specialty in Mexico and many people request it for birthday celebrations and more. The most common way to prepare it is to make the sauce, and then serve it with whole pieces of chicken.

How do you make Mole Poblano with chicken?

Like I mentioned above, there are many different ways to make this recipe. I wouldn’t say it falls in the category of easy recipes to make, but that is mainly because it does take a bit of time to get it right. There isn’t an original recipe, or a “correct” recipe, since nearly every family adds their own special touch to it. However, as a general rule, mole should have at least 20 ingredients, otherwise it is considered just a simple salsa.

To make this version of mole poblano, you will need the following ingredients:

• Ancho chiles
• Mulato peppers
• Pasilla Peppers
• Dry chipotle peppers
• Piloncillo (or you can replace this with brown sugar)
• Mexican chocolate tablet
• Corn tortillas (left out for a day)
• Stale bolillo (French bread)
• Very ripe plantain
• Animal crackers
• Sweet Raisins
• Peanuts
• Almonds
• Sesame Seeds
• Dried oregano
• Allspice
• Black Peppercorns
• Cloves
• Cinnamon Stick
• Cilantro seeds
• Chile seeds (from the dried peppers)
• White Onion
• Garlic cloves
• Red tomatoes
• Salt
• Chicken stock
• Pork Lard

Did I make it to 20? It looks like there are 26, so this definitely qualifies as an authentic mole dish! Don’t be overwhelmed, there are a lot of ingredients, but trust me, it will be worth it, so keep reading to find out how to make it.

To make the mole sauce, start by removing the seeds from the dried chiles and set aside a teaspoon of them for later. Now, in a large pot, heat up the chicken stock over medium-high heat. We will use this later to soak the chiles after they are fried.

In a hot skillet, lightly toast the sesame seeds for about 2 minutes and then remove from the heat and set them aside for a later step. They should be a light brown color when they are ready.

Add oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat before adding the dried chiles, frying them for a few seconds on each side. Don’t let them burn, because they can turn bitter in a hurry. Remove them from the pan and add them to the pot with the chicken stock and let them soak.

In the same pan where you fried the chiles, add a bit more oil and then lighly fry the peanuts and the almonds for about a minute and then add them to the pot with the chiles. In the same oil, fry the raisins until they start to inflate a little bit and then add them to the pot with the other ingredients.

You will continue to do this with the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate, pork lard, and piloncillo, one at a time and adding more oil as necessary until all of the ingredients are in the large pot soaking. For the tomato, after you fry it, remove the skin before adding to the pot. Let all of the ingredients that you have added to the pot soak for about ten minutes before adding them to a blender or food processor and blending until smooth. For this step, you will want to add the remaining stock a little bit at a time since you will want a smooth sauce. You will also add half of the sesame seeds and the chile seeds at this point. You won’t be straining this mixture, so make sure you add enough liquid so it is smooth.

In a large pot, heat the pork lard and add the chocolate and piloncillo. Once the chocolate has dissolved, add the mixture from the blender and let it cook over low heat for about 40 minutes until it reaches the desired consistency. Make sure you stir often during this step so that it doesn’t stick to the sides or bottom of the pot. At this point you can add salt to taste and if you want it sweeter, you can add a bit of sugar.

If you are going to serve the mole with chicken, at this point you will add the previously cooked pieces of chicken to the pot and bring the mole with the chicken to a boil before serving. Finally, serve the chicken with the mole sauce and add the remaining sesame seeds on top.

I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe that is definitely one of my favorites. Let me know in the comments below how it turns out!