Description
Rich Mexican mole sauce envelops tender chicken in a culinary symphony of complex flavors. Bold spices and chocolate create an irresistible harmony that transports you straight to the heart of authentic Mexican cuisine.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Ingredients:
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or boneless breasts)
- 2 cups chicken broth (for poaching the chicken)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Spices and Aromatics:
- 2 dried ancho chilies (stems & seeds removed, soaked in warm water)
- 2 dried guajillo chilies (or pasilla chilies, soaked in warm water)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, for depth of flavor)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Additional Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or ground almonds)
- ¼ cup raisins (adds slight sweetness)
- 1 small corn tortilla (torn into pieces, for thickening)
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 cups chicken broth (or reserved poaching liquid)
- 1 ounce (28 grams) dark chocolate (70% or Mexican chocolate like Abuelita)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, for balance)
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- Sesame seeds (for sprinkling)
- Chopped cilantro
- Warm corn tortillas or rice
Instructions
- Poach chicken with aromatic bay leaves in flavorful broth, ensuring meat becomes tender and fully cooked through gentle simmering.
- Carefully remove stems and seeds from dried chilies, then delicately toast them in a dry skillet until they release their rich, smoky fragrance.
- Submerge toasted chilies in warm water, allowing them to rehydrate and soften for optimal flavor extraction.
- Sauté aromatics including onions and garlic in a skillet, creating a fragrant base for the complex sauce.
- Introduce textural elements like nuts, sesame seeds, raisins, and torn tortillas, creating depth and richness in the sauce.
- Incorporate warm spices such as cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and cloves to build layers of complexity.
- Transform sauce ingredients into a smooth, velvety mixture using reserved chicken broth, blending until perfectly integrated.
- Enrich the sauce with deep, luxurious notes of cocoa powder or traditional Mexican chocolate, simmering to meld flavors.
- Gently reunite poached chicken with the robust mole sauce, allowing them to marry and intensify for several minutes.
- Finalize the dish by adjusting seasoning and garnishing with toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro for a vibrant presentation.
Notes
- Choose bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for richer, more succulent meat that holds up beautifully in the complex mole sauce.
- Toast dried chilies carefully to release their deep, smoky flavors without burning, which can create bitter undertones.
- Experiment with different chili varieties like ancho, guajillo, or pasilla to customize the sauce’s heat and depth of flavor.
- Substitute Mexican chocolate with dark chocolate and a pinch of cinnamon for a similar rich, slightly sweet profile that complements the savory elements.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 695
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 670 mg
- Fat: 41 g
- Saturated Fat: 24 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 57 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg