Spoon Simple
Mole Poblano
Mexico's most celebrated sauce — a complex, velvety blend of dried chiles, chocolate, nuts, and spices simmered with chicken. Deep, slightly sweet, and impossibly aromatic. A labor of love worth every minute.
Prep 45 min
Cook 1h 30m
Total 2h 15m
Serves 8
Ingredients
Step 1 — Cook the chicken
- 1 whole chicken (cut into pieces, about 4 lbs)
- 1 medium onion (quartered)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 cups water
Step 2 — Toast and blend the mole
- 4 dried ancho chiles (stemmed, seeded)
- 2 dried pasilla chiles (stemmed, seeded)
- 2 dried mulato chiles (stemmed, seeded, or substitute ancho)
- ¼ cup raw almonds
- ¼ cup raw peanuts
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 corn tortilla (torn)
- 2 Roma tomatoes (halved)
- ½ medium onion (quartered)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 oz Mexican chocolate (or 1 oz dark chocolate + 1 tbsp sugar)
- 3 cups chicken broth (from cooking)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Salt to taste
Step 3 — Serve
- Steamed white rice
- Warm corn tortillas
- Sesame seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- 1
Poach the chicken
Simmer chicken with onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and water 40–50 minutes until cooked through. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Keep chicken warm.
- 2
Build the mole sauce
Toast chiles 30 seconds per side; soak in hot water 20 minutes. In a dry skillet, toast almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, and tortilla until fragrant. Blend soaked chiles, nuts, tortilla, tomatoes, onion, garlic, raisins, spices, chocolate, and 2 cups broth until very smooth. Strain.
- 3
Simmer and serve
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the mole paste 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in remaining broth until smooth. Simmer 30–40 minutes, stirring often, until thick and glossy. Season with salt and brown sugar. Add chicken pieces, simmer 15 minutes. Serve over rice with tortillas and sesame seeds.
Nutrition per serving: 520 cal · 38g protein · 22g carbs · 32g fat · 4g fiber
For informational purposes only. Not medical or dietary advice. Verify ingredients for allergens, cooking times, and safe internal temperatures before serving.
