Chicken Mole Recipe – Mexican Special
This chicken mole recipe is rich, warm, and harmoniously balanced, featuring five varieties of chiles that impart layers of heat, fruitiness, sweetness, and smokiness.
- Prep Time50 min
- Cook Time1 hr 10 min
- Total Time2 hr
Chicken Mole Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut into 6 pieces
- 5 black peppercorns
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 6 dried guajillo chile peppers
- 4 dried ancho chile peppers
- 6 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup whole blanched almonds
- 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
- 2 corn tortillas (6-inch), torn into pieces
- 1 2.7-ounce disk Mexican chocolate, broken into pieces
- Pinch of sugar
How To Make Chicken Mole
Place the chicken and peppercorns in a large pot, cover with water, and season with salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat and cook until tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and reserve the cooking liquid.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside 2 tablespoons for garnish and transfer the remainder to a blender. In the same skillet, toast the cloves, cinnamon stick, anise seeds, and coriander seeds until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add these to the blender.
Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chile peppers. Heat 4 tablespoons of canola oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the chiles and fry until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover with hot water, and let soak until pliable, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and torn tortilla pieces to the skillet with the remaining oil. Cook, stirring, until the seeds and tortillas are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer these ingredients to the blender along with the oil from the skillet. Add the softened chiles and blend until smooth, adding 2 to 3 cups of the soaking liquid to achieve a thick sauce consistency.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the blended chile sauce and fry, stirring, until thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in 4 cups of the reserved chicken cooking liquid and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Add the Mexican chocolate and simmer, stirring frequently, until the chocolate melts and the sauce further reduces, about another 20 minutes. Season with salt and add the pinch of sugar.
Add the cooked chicken pieces to the sauce and warm through over low heat. Serve garnished with the reserved toasted sesame seeds.
