Chicken Mole Poblano Recipe

Season and brown the chicken

Pat the chicken thighs dry. Season with salt and black pepper. In a large heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides, in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.

When all pieces are browned, return them to the pot and keep warm while you make the mole.

Prepare the chiles

Remove stems and seeds from pasilla and mulato chiles. Tear into pieces and toast in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 2-3 minutes. Do not burn.

Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for about 20 minutes until softened. Drain well.

Toast nuts and seeds

In a separate dry pan, toast the almonds until golden, then toast the sesame seeds until lightly browned.

Cook aromatics

In the same pan, sauté diced onion, garlic, and chopped tomato until softened and lightly caramelized.

Blend the mole

In a blender, combine the soaked chiles, onion-tomato mixture, almonds, sesame seeds, raisins, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves. Add the chopped Mexican chocolate and 1 cup chicken stock. Blend until smooth and thick. If needed, add more stock to reach a pourable consistency.

Simmer and season

Pour the mole into a pot and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste.

Finish the chicken

Return the seared chicken to the mole. Simmer gently for 25-35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened to your liking. Adjust thickness with more stock if needed.

Serve

Ladle mole poblano over the chicken and serve with warm tortillas or rice. Garnish with extra sesame seeds if desired.