Authentic Mole Poblano with Chicken
Mole Poblano is a thick, rich red or brown sauce made with chilis, fruit, nuts, seeds and Mexican chocolate. While there are many different types of mole made throughout Mexico, mole poblano hails from Puebla, a region famous for its culinary delights, colonial architecture and Talavera pottery.
Frequently served during Mexican celebrations, you can bring the flavors of this classic dish into your home by following our step-by-step mole poblano recipe.
What to Expect from This Recipe
The sweet and spicy flavors in mole poblano are a perfect combination to serve over all kinds of dishes, including chicken, beef and even enchiladas (also called enmoladas). While this mole poblano recipe takes a little longer to make than other Mexican dishes, it’s well worth the wait. And there’s minimal chopping involved!
You’ll start by boiling the chicken. Next, you’ll make the mole sauce. After preparing the chilis and chopping the onions and bread, you’ll alternate frying and draining the ingredients in the lard. Then you’ll toast the seeds and spices, blend it all up, and spoon over your chicken!
Note: If you’re pressed for time and have a Mexican market near you, you can always work with a store-bought mole paste. But be sure to give this recipe a try when you have more time. There’s nothing like homemade!
Learn How to Make Mole Poblano
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 chicken cut into pieces
- 8 cups of water
For the Mole Sauce
- 1 corn tortilla
- 1 slice of day-old bread
- 1 ½ cup dried chilies (ancho, mulato, pasilla) lightly fried in oil
- 1 small white onion
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup peanuts
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves, whole
- 3 large black peppercorns, or 5 small
- 1 disc of Mexican table chocolate
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 3 ½ tablespoon vegetable or pork lard
- 2 tablespoon salt
* The amount of salt listed here is only a suggestion. Many times you’ll need to add more salt — a little at a time until you get just the right flavor.
Prepare the Chicken
Place the chicken into a large cooking pot and pour in water to cover the chicken about an inch.
Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink inside.
Make the Mole Sauce
Fry the Chilis
Before we blend the chilis, we lightly fry them in lard to make sure they don’t taste bitter. First, cut the tops off the dried chilis, and remove the seeds and veins.
Place a large pot over medium-high heat. A clay pot will give you the best flavor, but if you don’t have one, just use any large pot. Add 2 tablespoons of lard to the pot.
Wait for the lard to melt.
Add the dried chilis to the pot in batches. You may see some of the chile seeds you missed release into the oil.
Cook over medium heat for about a minute, drain and reserve the chilis.
Blend the Chili Purée
Add the fried chilis to the blender or food processor.
Set the blender on purée and blend the chilis into a paste.
Periodically press the chilis down into the blender to ensure a smooth paste.
Your chili paste should be a deep red color with a nice, smooth consistency.
Fry the Nuts and Seeds
Heat the same large pot over medium-high heat and add another tablespoon of lard.
Once melted, lower the heat to medium and pour the almonds into the pot.
Next, add the peanuts to the pot.
Then, the pumpkin seeds. Stir carefully as the pumpkin seeds tend to pop as they plump up.
Stir constantly while toasting the nuts and seeds.
Once the seeds have darkened (about two minutes), use a strainer to drain the nuts and seeds. You’ll be left with the juices that the nuts and seeds have released in the pot.
Pour the drained nuts and seeds into a bowl and set aside.
Fry the Bread and Garlic
Add the bread to the pot and fry for one minute.
Stir constantly while cooking the bread.
Once the bread has turned dark brown, remove from the pot with kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside.
Next, add the three peeled garlic cloves to the pot.
Once the garlic has darkened, drain, remove from the pot and set aside.
Fry the Cinnamon and Raisins
Add the cinnamon stick to the same pot.
Once the stick has darkened, remove and set aside.
Add the raisins to the pot.
Fry the raisins for about 30 seconds or until plump.
Drain raisins in a strainer and set aside.
Fry the Tortilla
Add the tortilla to the liquid in the pot.
Heat the tortilla for 10 seconds, flip and heat another 10 seconds.
Remove tortilla with tongs, let excess liquid drip into the pot and set aside.
Carefully pour the liquid from the pot into a bowl and set aside.
Toast the Seeds and Spices
Add the sesame seeds to the pot.
Stir and toast the seeds for about 30 seconds.
Next, add the peppercorns, cloves and coriander seeds.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the seeds and spices have darkened.
Blend the Mole Paste
Once the seeds and spices have toasted, transfer to a blender.
Break up the fried tortilla and add to the blender.
Add toasted bread to the blender.
Pour in the cooked raisins.
Add the fried cinnamon stick and garlic cloves.
Sprinkle in the salt.
Add in half of the toasted nuts and seeds.
Purée the ingredients.
Add chicken broth as needed to make a paste.
Your paste should be a deep reddish brown color. Looking good!
Pour the paste into a bowl and set aside
Blend Another Batch!
Add the remaining toasted nuts and seeds to the blender.
Blend the nuts and seeds.
Press the mixture down to ensure a smooth paste.
Your paste should look like this. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Fry and Blend the Onions
Cut the onion into slices and then heat ½ tablespoon of lard in your pot.
Once the lard has melted, add the sliced onions.
Sauté the onions until golden brown.
Transfer onions to the blender and blend until smooth.
Cook the Mole Sauce
Pour the second batch of seed and nut paste into the pot.
Next, pour in the half of the first batch of mole paste.
Stir to combine.
Break up the tablet of Mexican chocolate and add to the pot.
Stir to combine.
Add the chicken bouillon cubes and stir until cubes melt.
Add the other half of the mole paste to the pot.
Add chicken stock to thin out the paste and stir.
Your sauce should have a medium consistency — not too thick and not too runny.
Sprinkle in more salt.
Simmer the mole sauce over medium heat until reduced by about an inch.
Serving Mole Poblano with Bone-In Chicken
Add the cooked chicken to the pot with the mole sauce and turn to cover with the sauce. If you prefer to serve over shredded chicken instead, skip down to the next section.
Place a piece of chicken on the plate, spoon over more sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Your chicken with mole is ready to eat!
Serving Mole Poblano with Shredded Chicken
Separate the meat from some of your cooked chicken pieces and add to a plate. Spoon over the mole sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
You’re ready to dig into your mole poblano with shredded chicken! So good!
Buen provecho! (Enjoy your meal!)
Mole Poblano
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- Blender
- Kitchen spoon
- mixing bowl
- Serving bowl
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- kitchen tongs or spatula
- Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 Whole chicken cut into pieces
- 8 cups Water
For the Mole Sauce
- 1 Corn Tortilla
- 1 Slice day-old bread
- 1 ½ cup Dried chilis (mulato, pasilla or ancho chiles)
- 1 Small white onion
- 3 Garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup Raisins
- 1 cup Almonds
- 1 cup Peanuts
- ½ cup Pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup Sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Coriander seeds
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Cloves, whole
- 3 Large black peppercorns, or 5 small
- 1 disc Mexican table chocolate
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 2 Chicken bouillon cubes
- 3 ½ tablespoon Vegetable or pork lard
- 2 tablespoon Salt
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Place the chicken into a large cooking pot and pour in water to cover the chicken about an inch.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink inside.
For the Mole Sauce
Fry the Chilis
- Before we blend the chilis, we lightly fry them in lard or oil to make sure they don’t taste bitter. First, cut the tops off the dried chilis, and remove the seeds and veins.
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat. A clay pot will give you the best flavor, but if you don’t have one, just use any large pot. Add the lard or cooking oil to the pot and wait for it to melt.
- Add the dried chilis to the pot in batches. You may see some of the chile seeds you missed release from the chilis in the oil.
- Add the dried chilis to the pot in batches. You may see some of the chile seeds you missed release from the chilis in the oil.
- Cook over medium heat for about a minute, drain and reserve the chilis.
Blend the Chili Purée
- Add the fried chilis to the blender or food processor.
- Set the blender on purée and blend the chilis into a paste, pressing down on the chilis periodically to ensure a smooth paste.
- Your chili paste should be a deep red color, and nice and smooth.
Fry the Nuts and Seeds
- Heat the same large pot over medium-high heat and add another tablespoon of lard.
- Once melted or heated, lower the heat to medium and pour the almonds into the pot, followed by the peanuts and pumpkin seeds.
- Stir constantly while toasting the nuts and seeds.
- Once the seeds have darkened (about two minutes), use a strainer to drain the nuts and seeds. You’ll be left with the juices that the nuts and seeds have released in the pot.
- Pour the drained nuts and seeds into a bowl and set aside.
Fry the Bread and Garlic
- Add the bread to the pot and fry for one minute.
- Stir constantly while cooking the bread.
- Once the bread has turned dark brown, remove from the pot with kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Next, add the three peeled garlic cloves to the pot.
- Once the garlic has darkened, drain, remove from the pot and set aside.
Fry the Cinnamon and Raisins
- Add the cinnamon stick to the same pot.
- Once the stick has darkened, remove and set aside.
- Add the raisins to the pot and fry for about 30 seconds, or until plump.
- Drain raisins in a strainer and set aside.
Fry the Tortilla
- Add the tortilla to the liquid in the pot.
- Heat the tortilla for 10 seconds, flip and heat another 10 seconds.
- Remove tortilla with tongs, let excess liquid drip into the pot and set aside.
- Carefully pour the liquid from the pot into a bowl and set aside.
Toast the Seeds and Spices
- Add the sesame seeds to the pot and toast for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Next, add the peppercorns, cloves and coriander seeds.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the seeds and spices have darkened.
Blend the Mole Paste
- Once the seeds and spices have toasted, transfer to a blender.
- Break up the fried tortilla and add to the blender.
- Add the toasted bread, cooked raisins, fried cinnamon stick and garlic cloves.
- Sprinkle in the salt, then add in half of the toasted nuts and seeds.
- Purée the ingredients, adding chicken broth as needed to make a paste.
- Your paste should be a deep reddish brown color.
- Pour the paste into a bowl and set aside.
Blend Another Batch!
- Add the remaining toasted nuts and seeds to the blender.
- Blend the nuts and seeds, pressing down the mixture periodically to ensure a smooth paste.
- Transfer the paste to a large bowl and set aside.
Fry and Blend the Onions
- Cut the onion into slices and then heat ½ tablespoon of lard in your pot.
- Once the lard has melted, add the sliced onions.
- Sauté the onions until golden brown and then transfer to the blender. Blend until smooth.
Cook the Mole Sauce
- Pour the second batch of seed and nut paste into your pot.
- Next, pour in the half of the first batch of mole paste and stir to combine.
- Break up the tablet of Mexican chocolate, add to the pot and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken bouillon cubes and stir until cubes melt.
- Add the other half of the mole paste to the pot and stir, pouring in chicken stock until you've reached the desired consistency. Your mole should be of medium consistency — not too thick, not too runny.
- Sprinkle in more salt, then simmer the mole sauce over medium heat until reduced by about an inch.
Serve Mole Poblano with Bone-In Chicken
- Add the cooked chicken to the pot with the mole sauce and turn to cover with the sauce. If you prefer to serve over shredded chicken instead, skip down to the next section.
- Place a piece of chicken on the plate, spoon over more sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Your chicken with mole is ready to eat!
Serve Mole Poblano with Shredded Chicken
- Separate the meat from some of your cooked chicken pieces and add to a plate. Spoon over the mole sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- You’re ready to dig into your mole poblano with shredded chicken! So good!
Nina says
WOW! :) THANK YOU for posting & sharing this Mole Recipe. I’m SO excited to try making it in the near future. I’ve traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico & found this regional dish fascinating BUT intimidating. The way you break down each step definitely simplifies an otherwise DAUNTING Recipe. I now have the confidence to TRY making homemade Mole & will surprise my family. :) I promise to post pics & a review of my results upon completion. Muchas Gracias =^..^=
Lori Alcalá says
Yay! Glad you found the recipe easy to follow, Nina. Let us know how your mole turns out!
David says
This recipe looks amazing, thanks for sharing!
I’d like to try it out, but I’m a bit confused about the steps, and was hoping you could clarify:
After making the chili paste, you make the ingredients for the mole paste: half the nuts and seeds, bread and garlic, cinnamon and raisins, tortilla, and seeds and spices. Then you make the mole paste with those ingredients.
After making the onion paste, you take that mole paste, and mix half of it with the remaining nuts and seeds, chocolate, and bouillon cubes, then add the other half.
But when do you add the chile paste? When do you add the onion puree?
Caroline says
This recipe ended up having no taste. My analysis after the fact was the the nuts should have been half the amount the recipe called for. Also, it is not necessary to do all the cooking in so many steps. The process could have been much more efficient than what was described here. Also the recipe ended up being very heavy and devoid of any taste of the peppers. Ie. not spicy at all.
Jenny says
Molé is not supposed to be spicy. It is meant to have a deep, complex flavor but little-to-no heat, with the peppers lending a layer of flavor. I’m not sure what you mean in your first sentence by “no taste” because your last sentence seems to associate the pepper’s flavor with it’s level of spice. Those are two very different things.
If you actually mean flavor, it could be because this recipe only cooks the molé for 2 hours. Traditional mole is simmered for much, much longer… usually low and slow all day long. Like most slow cooked recipes, the longer it is cooked, the more the flavors merge and develop, making the flavor better and more distinct. None of this occurs by making the recipe “more efficient”.
If by flavor you actually mean heat, then molé is not what you are looking for. Hot sauce is what you want. Most are made with only it’s spice in mind, not a well developed flavor and can by made in an hour or two at most.
Tammy says
Love the info and the pics with the extensive instructions. My friend Debbie is the only one I’ve ever eaten and it’s sooooo good. You did so much work putting this together. Thank you so much! ❤️
Bonnie says
I was underwhelmed by the taste so I added double the amount of chiles and that made all the difference. I used coconut oil instead of lard and it turned out great! The mole tasted a little bit better every day. The flavors just need time to mingle. I recommend making it 3-5 days ahead of time before serving it to others.
Douglas Cullen says
I totally agree that the flavors need time to mingle. Mole is a dish that takes its time to come together. Coconut oil is an interesting option for those who prefer not to cook with lard. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers!
Nicole says
How many cups of mole do you end up with? In other words, how many cups is a serving?
Thank you!
LNC says
Mole is the main way I judge a restaurant that calls itself Mexican! BUT I have never had the nerve to try to make it myself. A Mexican friend first told me that there were as many Mole recipes as families that make it, but this looks like the type that I would want.
It would be very useful to know how long this recipe might last in the fridge, if it could be frozen and re-heated or if it can be canned for preserving.
Also I would love to know about your salsa recipes and if they can be canned or preserved?
Thank you for sharing!