Mole Poblano Recipe
Half chicken in a mole sauce. Accompanied with soft corn tortillas. Served with rice and beans.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Chicken
Mole Sauce
Accompaniments
Method
Preparing the Chicken
- 1
Season and Sear Chicken
Pat the whole chicken dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and black pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, breast side down, and sear for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Flip the chicken and sear the other side for another 5-7 minutes.
- 2
Cook the Chicken
Once both sides are browned, add enough water to cover the chicken, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot and let it rest.
Making the Mole Sauce
- 3
Prepare the Chiles
Remove the stems and seeds from the ancho and guajillo chiles. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chiles for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant, being careful not to burn them.
- 4
Blend the Sauce
In a blender, combine the toasted chiles, tomatoes, garlic, onion, cinnamon stick, almonds, sesame seeds, chicken broth, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- 5
Cook the Mole
In the same pot used for the chicken, pour in the blended mole sauce. Cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
Final Assembly
- 6
Combine Chicken and Mole
Once the mole sauce is ready, return the chicken to the pot and spoon the sauce over it. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- 7
Prepare Accompaniments
While the chicken simmers, cook the rice according to package instructions and heat the black beans. Warm the corn tortillas in a dry skillet or microwave.
- 8
Serve
Serve the chicken half with mole sauce alongside rice, beans, and warm corn tortillas.