mains

Authentic Mole Poblano

Mole Poblano Auténtico

The crown jewel of Puebla cuisine: a deep, complex sauce built from a trinity of chile mulato, chile ancho and chile pasilla, layered with toasted nuts, seeds, warm spices and Mexican chocolate, bathed over poached chicken. A celebration dish that takes hours but rewards with one of the most extraordinary flavors in Mexican cooking.

⏱

Prep

1 hour 30 minutes

🔥

Cook

2 hours

🍽

Servings

10

📊

Difficulty

Hard

Authentic Mole Poblano

1 Ingredients

  • 5 chiles mulato, deveined and seeded
  • 4 chiles ancho, deveined and seeded
  • 3 chiles pasilla, deveined and seeded
  • 2 chiles chipotle secos (optional)
  • 3 tbsp reserved chile seeds
  • 1/4 cup ajonjolí (sesame seeds)
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
  • 1/4 cup almonds
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 4 medium jitomates
  • 1 medium white onion, quartered
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 dry corn tortillas (or 1 bolillo roll)
  • 1 stick canela (5 cm)
  • 3 cloves
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp anise
  • 1/2 tsp Mexican orégano
  • 100 g Mexican chocolate (Abuelita or Ibarra)
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 ripe plátano macho, optional
  • 6-8 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup manteca de cerdo (or vegetable oil)
  • Salt to taste
  • 8-10 pieces cooked chicken (thighs and legs)

2 Instructions

  1. 1

    Wipe the chiles clean with a damp cloth, devein and remove seeds (reserve 3 tbsp of seeds for later). Toast each chile on a comal for 10-15 seconds per side without burning. Soak in hot water for 30 minutes.

  2. 2

    Separately toast on the comal: reserved chile seeds (1 minute), ajonjolí (2 minutes), pepitas (2 minutes), peanuts (3 minutes), almonds (3 minutes), and raisins (30 seconds). Set each aside.

  3. 3

    Char the jitomates on the comal for 10 minutes, the onion for 8 minutes, and the garlic for 5 minutes. If using plátano macho, fry slices in a little oil until golden.

  4. 4

    Lightly toast canela, cloves, peppercorns, cumin and anise on the comal for 30-60 seconds. Toast the tortillas (or bolillo) until crisp.

  5. 5

    Blend in batches: first batch — drained chiles with some of their soaking water until smooth. Second batch — charred jitomates, onion, garlic with broth. Third batch — toasted seeds, nuts, raisins, spices and tortillas with broth.

  6. 6

    In a heavy pot, heat the manteca over medium heat and fry the chile paste, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes until darkened and fragrant.

  7. 7

    Add the jitomate mixture and cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add the seed-and-spice mixture and stir to integrate.

  8. 8

    Gradually pour in the remaining chicken broth to reach a thick velvety consistency. Add the chocolate and sugar, stir until dissolved.

  9. 9

    Lower heat and simmer the mole for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes so it does not stick. Adjust salt, sweetness and chile balance to taste.

  10. 10

    Add the cooked chicken pieces and warm through. Serve in deep plates, ladle plenty of mole over each piece, finish with a sprinkle of toasted ajonjolí. Accompany with arroz rojo and warm corn tortillas.

💡 Tips from the Kitchen

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    Mole tastes even better the next day — make it ahead and reheat gently with extra broth if it thickens.

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    Strain the mole through a fine sieve before the final simmer if you want a silkier texture.

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    Adjust dulce-picante-salado balance at the very end — every batch is different depending on the chiles.

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