Mole Poblano Chicken

Name: Mole Poblano Chicken
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 31 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; 3 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded; 2 dried mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded; 1/4 cup raisins; 1/4 cup blanched almonds; 2 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for garnish; 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes; 1/2 white onion, roughly chopped; 3 garlic cloves; 1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces; 1 oz Mexican chocolate (like Abuelita), chopped; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 4 cups chicken broth, divided; 3 tbsp vegetable oil or lard; to taste Salt, to taste

Mole Poblano is Puebla's legendary sauce, a complex blend of dried chiles, spices, nuts, and a touch of chocolate simmered into a rich, dark, deeply layered sauce spooned over tender poached chicken. It takes time but rewards with one of Mexican cuisine's most celebrated flavors.

By YumYum Editorial · Mexican

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 1 min · Total: 31 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 dried mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup blanched almonds
2 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces
1 oz Mexican chocolate (like Abuelita), chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
to taste Salt, to taste

Instructions

Season the chicken thighs with salt and simmer them in 3 cups of the chicken broth for 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Reserve the broth; set the chicken aside.
Toast the ancho, pasilla, and mulato chiles in a dry skillet for 20-30 seconds per side, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes until soft.
In the same dry skillet, toast the raisins, almonds, and sesame seeds separately for 1-2 minutes each until fragrant, then toast the tortilla pieces until lightly browned.
Blend the softened chiles with the raisins, almonds, sesame seeds, tomatoes, onion, garlic, tortilla, cinnamon, and cloves, adding reserved broth as needed to make a smooth, thick paste.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the mole paste, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes to deepen the flavor and cook off rawness.
Add the remaining chicken broth and the chopped chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts and the sauce is smooth.
Simmer the mole uncovered for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to a velvety consistency. Season with salt.
Nestle the cooked chicken thighs into the mole sauce and simmer together for 10 minutes to absorb the flavor.
Serve the chicken generously topped with mole sauce, garnished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.