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Mole Sauce

Authentic Mole Sauce (Mole Poblano) made from toasting and blending sweet and earthy ingredients and spices into a smooth simmered sauce, served over chicken.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 552 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
  • 1 whole raw chicken , cut into pieces (or 4-5 chicken leg quarters, bone in, skin on)
  • 8 cups water (1.9 liters or half gallon)
  • ¼ onion , roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon , (powder or paste)
Mole Sauce:
  • 6 dried pasilla chiles
  • 6 dried mulato chiles or guajillo chilies
  • 5 dried ancho chiles
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds (71g), divided
  • 1/4 cup raw almonds (36g)
  • 1/4 cup raw shelled peanuts (36g)
  • 1/4 cup raisins (37g)
  • ½ cup animal crackers (60g)
  • 1 corn tortilla
  • 2 slices white bread , French bread or a small bolillo roll cut in half
  • 1/2 of a white onion , sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 5 whole black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon whole aniseed
  • ¼ -1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 ripe plantain (or banana) , peeled, sliced into ½ inch slices
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon paste
  • salt to taste
  • 2 ounces chopped Mexican chocolate , (or semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate)
  • 1-4 Tablespoons brown sugar , taste
  • Reserved broth from cooking the chicken
  • 2 Tablespoons oil or lard
  • oil , for frying

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Cook Chicken: Add chicken, garlic, onion, bay leaf, chicken bouillon, salt, oregano and water to pot. Bring to a low boil and cook over medium heat until chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate, (reserving the broth) cover to keep it warm and set aside.
For the Mole Sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Toast sesame seeds in a large dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toasted. Be careful not to burn them. Set aside.
  2. Add 2 cups of water to a large saucepan over medium-low heat. (You will transfer toasted ingredients to this post, as you toast them.)
  3. Toast Chiles: Use scissors to cut a line down all the chilies to open them up flat. Remove veins and seeds. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chiles in a single layer, frying on both sides for just a few seconds, careful not to burn them. Transfer them to saucepan of water.
  4. Pan fry ingredients: We will pan fry most of the remaining ingredients, one at a time, so add a little oil between each batch, as needed, to coat the bottom of the pan.
  5. Fry the peanuts stirring often so they toast but don’t burn, about 45 seconds. Add to the pot. Repeat with almonds, then raisins, then animal crackers, then corn tortilla, and bread slices, adding each to the saucepan and pressing down as much as possible into the water.
  6. Turn skillet heat to medium-high and add more oil if needed to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onion and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and fry for just a few seconds before spooning the onion and garlic into the pot. Add sliced plantain to the hot oil and fry on both sides, then add to the pot.
  7. Reduce heat to medium and add peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, anise, and crushed red pepper to hot oil and fry for a few seconds, stirring constantly, then add to the pot.
  8. To the saucepan with all of the ingredients, stir in 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon.
  9. Blend: Working in batches, add everything from the pot with the chilies to a blender and add enough of the reserved chicken broth to allow the mixture to blend. During one of the blending batches, add ¼ cup of reserved toasted sesame seeds. Blend each batch for several minutes, until completely smooth, adding more chicken broth if needed.
  10. Heat 2 tablespoons lard or oil to a large saucepan. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside.
  11. Strain: Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer (discarding what’s leftover in the strainer) into the pot with the melted lard.
  12. Melt chocolate: Add the chopped chocolate to a bowl and pour some of the chicken broth into it, to help it melt. Add to pot, along with 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, to start, then more to taste, as needed.
  13. Cook mole sauce over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often. If the mixture is too thick, add more chicken broth (I usually end up using all of the remaining chicken broth). Taste and add salt or sugar, as needed.
  14. Serve: Place chicken on a plate and ladle a big spoonful of sauce on top. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with Mexican rice and warm corn tortillas on the side.

Notes

  • Make Ahead Instructions: Mole sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Rewarm on the stove and add additional chicken stock, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
  • Make Ahead Instructions: Mole sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Rewarm on the stove and add additional chicken stock, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
  • Freezing Instructions: Mole sauce can be frozen for up to 4 months. Just place cooled sauce in a freezer-safe container. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stove, adding additional chicken stock, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
  • Freezing Instructions: Mole sauce can be frozen for up to 4 months. Just place cooled sauce in a freezer-safe container. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stove, adding additional chicken stock, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
  • Spice level: This Mole is Medium spice. To add additional heat you could leave some of the seeds and veins in the dried chiles, increase the amount of crushed red pepper, add chile de arbol chiles, or add some chipotle peppers.
  • Pro Tips: It’s VERY important NOT to burn anything, particularly the peppers, as these will turn bitter and ruin the end flavor result. Also, when blending, only fill the blender half full with mixture at a time, to get the smoothest puree.
  • It’s VERY important NOT to burn anything, particularly the peppers, as these will turn bitter and ruin the end flavor result. Also, w
  • hen blending, only fill the blender half full with mixture at a time, to get the smoothest puree.

Nutrition Information

Calories 552kcal (28%) Carbohydrates 43g (14%) Protein 27g (54%) Fat 33g (51%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 9g Monounsaturated Fat 14g Trans Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 72mg (24%) Sodium 1001mg (42%) Potassium 994mg (28%) Fiber 12g (48%) Sugar 17g (34%) Vitamin A 8590IU (172%) Vitamin C 12mg (13%) Calcium 192mg (19%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 552

% Daily Value*

Calories 552kcal 28%
Carbohydrates 43g 14%
Protein 27g 54%
Fat 33g 51%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 9g 53%
Monounsaturated Fat 14g 70%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Sodium 1001mg 42%
Potassium 994mg 21%
Fiber 12g 48%
Sugar 17g 34%
Vitamin A 8590IU 172%
Vitamin C 12mg 13%
Calcium 192mg 19%
Iron 6mg 33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.