Mexico Pollo en Mole
Mole derives from the word molli, which means “sauce” in Nahuatl. It is a generic name for a wide variety of sauces; however, a common ingredient in all of them is chile peppers. Mole poblano (from Puebla) is the best known and widely considered one of Mexico’s national dishes. For Christmas or special occasions such as weddings or baptisms, mole is served over turkey or other meats such as chicken or pork.
Recipe Servings: 4
Prep Time
15 minutes
+ 30 minutes resting
+ 30 minutes resting
Cook Time
1 hour 35 minutes
Total Time
2 hours 20 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 1 chicken (around 4 lbs/2 kg), cut into pieces
- 5 black peppercorns
- Water, for cooking
- Kosher salt, to taste
- ½ cup (120 ml) sesame seeds, divided
- 5 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp (5 ml) anise seeds
- ¼ tsp (2.5 ml) coriander seeds
- 6 dried guajillo chile peppers, stems and seeds removed
- 4 dried ancho chile peppers, stems and seeds removed
- 6 Tbsp (90 ml) canola oil, divided
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) raisins
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole blanched almonds
- 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
- 2 6-in (2.5-cm) corn tortillas, torn into pieces
- 1 2.7-oz (76-g) disk mexican chocolate, broken into pieces
- Pinch of sugar
Directions
- In a large pot, place the chicken and the peppercorns. Cover with water and add salt. Simmer for about 40 minutes.
- When the chicken is tender, put the chicken on a plate and set aside the cooking liquid.
- Toast all the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
- Toast the cloves, cinnamon stick, anise seeds, and coriander seeds for about 3 minutes. Put them in a blender.
- Set aside 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the sesame seeds for garnish and transfer the rest to the blender.
- Ensure that all stems and seeds have been removed from the dried chile peppers. Then, in the same skillet used before, heat 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of canola oil over medium heat. Fry the chilies for about 2 minutes.
- Put the fried chilies in a medium bowl and soak for about 30 minutes.
- To the same skillet now add the raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and tortilla pieces. Cook and stir until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add the contents of the skillet, including any residual oil, to the blender. Add the softened chilies and 2–3 cups of the chicken cooking liquid. Puree.
- Add the remaining oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pureed chile sauce and stir until thick, about 20 minutes.
- Add the chocolate. Simmer and stir, for about 20 minutes, until the chocolate melts.
- Add the sugar and salt to taste.
- To heat up the chicken pieces, add them to the sauce, over low heat. Garnish with the reserved toasted sesame seeds.
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