Description
Mole poblano is the baroque cathedral of Mexican cooking, a sauce of staggering complexity built from dried chiles, spices, nuts, seeds, chocolate, and stale bread, all toasted, soaked, and ground into a velvety, near-black sauce with a flavor that unfolds in layers over minutes. It is traditionally prepared for weddings, saints’ days, and the Day of the Dead in Puebla, where the dish originated. Making mole is a commitment, but it rewards you with something no shortcut can replicate.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 dried mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 cups chicken stock, warm
- 1/4 cup lard or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 1/4 cup whole almonds
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces
- 1 slice stale white bread, torn
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican if available)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 ounces Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra), chopped
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces
Instructions
- Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing them flat with a spatula, for 1-2 minutes per side until fragrant and slightly darkened. Do not burn them. Place in a bowl, cover with the warm stock, and soak for 30 minutes.
- In the same skillet, toast the sesame seeds, peanuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds separately, stirring constantly, until each is golden and fragrant. Transfer to a plate as they finish. Toast the tortilla pieces and bread until crisp and dark. Set aside.
- Roast the onion quarters, unpeeled garlic, and tomatoes in the dry skillet or under a broiler until charred in spots on all sides, about 10-12 minutes. Peel the garlic.
- In a blender, combine the soaked chiles with their liquid, the toasted nuts and seeds, the tortilla and bread pieces, the charred vegetables, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, oregano, cumin, and raisins. Blend in batches until very smooth, adding more stock if needed to keep the blender moving. This may require 3-4 batches. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing on solids.
- Heat the lard in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Carefully pour in the blended sauce — it will spatter violently. Stir constantly for 5-7 minutes as the sauce fries and darkens in color. This frying step concentrates the flavors dramatically.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the chocolate, sugar, and salt. Stir until the chocolate melts completely. Add enough stock to achieve a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Simmer very gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching.
- Meanwhile, poach or roast the chicken pieces until cooked through. Serve the chicken draped generously with the mole sauce, garnished with sesame seeds. Leftover mole freezes well for months.
Notes
- Each component must be toasted individually and carefully — under-toasted ingredients taste raw, and over-toasted ones turn bitter. There is no recovering from burned chiles.
- Frying the blended sauce in hot fat is a critical step called refrying (refrito). It transforms the raw flavors into something deeper and more unified.
- Mole is a living recipe — every family in Puebla has their own version. This is a starting point. Taste and adjust the balance of sweet, smoky, bitter, and spicy as you go.
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving