Mole Poblano Chicken

★ 4.2 · Advanced

Tender braised chicken smothered in a complex, slow-simmered mole sauce built from toasted chiles, nuts, spices, and a whisper of dark chocolate. This is special-occasion Mexican cooking at its finest.

45 minPrep Time

90 minCook Time

135 minTotal Time

6 servingsYield

Why You'll Love This

An authentic, from-scratch mole built the traditional way
Rich and complex but balanced, never overly sweet or bitter
A true celebration dish worth the extra effort

Ingredients

3 lbbone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
2 tspkosher salt, divided
3 tbspvegetable oil, divided
4dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
3dried mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded
2dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
1/3 cupraisins
1/4 cupalmonds
2 tbspsesame seeds, plus more for garnish
1corn tortilla, torn into pieces
1 slicewhite bread, torn into pieces
1/2white onion, chopped
3 clovesgarlic, peeled
1Roma tomato, quartered
1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/4 tspground cloves
2 ozMexican chocolate or dark chocolate, chopped
4 cupschicken broth, divided

Nutrition (estimated per serving)

520Calories

34gProtein

30gFat

30gCarbs

6gFiber

780mgSodium

Nutrition information is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed and will vary based on the specific products used. It is not a substitute for advice from a nutrition professional.

Method

Pat the chicken dry and season all over with 1 teaspoon of the salt.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the chicken pieces, skin-side down first, for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deeply browned; work in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate.
Toast the ancho, mulato, and pasilla chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds per side, until fragrant, then soak in 3 cups hot water for 20 minutes.
In the same dry skillet, toast the raisins, almonds, and sesame seeds over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sesame seeds turn golden; set aside.
In the same skillet, toast the torn tortilla and bread pieces for 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly browned; set aside.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet and cook the onion, garlic, and tomato over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened and lightly browned.
Drain the soaked chiles, reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid.
Working in batches if needed, blend the drained chiles, toasted raisin-almond-sesame mixture, toasted tortilla and bread, cooked onion-garlic-tomato, cinnamon, cloves, and the reserved soaking liquid until as smooth as possible (a few minutes of blending). Strain through a coarse sieve, pressing firmly to extract all the sauce; discard the solids.
Pour the strained mole paste into the Dutch oven used for the chicken (wipe it out first if needed) and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and smells toasty.
Whisk in 3 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Add the chopped chocolate and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, stirring until the chocolate fully melts and the sauce is smooth.
Nestle the seared chicken pieces into the sauce, cover, and simmer over low heat for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding the remaining 1 cup broth as needed if the sauce thickens too much, until the chicken is fully tender and reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 F.
Taste the sauce and adjust salt as needed; it should be rich, only faintly sweet, and never taste like straight chocolate.
Serve the chicken spooned generously with mole sauce, garnished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, with rice alongside if desired.

Tips

Toasting the chiles, nuts, and bread separately before blending is what builds mole's signature deep, layered flavor; do not skip any single toasting step.
Straining the blended sauce through a sieve is essential for a silky mole; unstrained sauce will taste gritty from chile skins and seeds.