Pollo En Mole Chicken in Mole Sauce
Embark on a culinary journey to Mexico with Pollo en Mole, a rich and flavorful dish featuring tender bone-in chicken simmered in a luscious mole sauce. This traditional recipe brings together the smoky complexity of dried ancho, guajillo, and pasilla chilies, the sweetness of ripe roma tomatoes, and the warmth of Mexican chocolate, all balanced with a blend of toasted almonds, sesame seeds, and spices like cinnamon and cumin. The sauce, lovingly blended to velvety perfection, is simmered with the chicken for hours, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully. Served over fluffy white rice or with warm corn tortillas for soaking up every drop of the sauce, this hearty dish is a celebration of authentic Mexican cuisine that will transform your dinner table into a fiesta of flavor.
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 dried ancho chilies
- 2 dried guajillo chilies
- 2 dried pasilla chilies
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons almonds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 corn tortilla
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 ounces Mexican chocolate
- 0.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 0.5 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
Season the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Toast the dried ancho, guajillo, and pasilla chilies for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Remove and place in a bowl.
Pour 1 cup of hot water over the toasted chilies and let them soak for 20 minutes to rehydrate. Once softened, remove stems and seeds. Reserve the soaking liquid.
In the pot, char the tomatoes, onion (quartered), and garlic over medium heat until soft and slightly blackened, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Toast the almonds and sesame seeds in the pot for about 2-3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove and set aside.
Tear the corn tortilla into small pieces and toast in the pot until crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In a blender, combine the rehydrated chilies, reserved soaking liquid, charred tomatoes, onion, garlic, toasted almonds, sesame seeds, and tortilla. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve if needed.
Return the blended sauce to the pot over medium heat and add the remaining 3 cups of chicken broth, Mexican chocolate, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 0.5 teaspoon of pepper. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth.
Return the seared chicken to the pot, ensuring it is fully submerged in the mole sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Adjust seasoning with additional salt or sugar if needed. Serve the chicken with mole sauce over white rice or alongside warm corn tortillas. Garnish with extra sesame seeds if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
842 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 57.7 g | 74% | |
| Saturated Fat | 15.7 g | 78% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3.4 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 242 mg | 81% | |
| Sodium | 1242 mg | 54% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 20.7 g | 8% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.0 g | 18% | |
| Total Sugars | 9.5 g | ||
| Protein | 60.5 g | 121% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.4 mcg | 2% | |
| Calcium | 85 mg | 7% | |
| Iron | 4.5 mg | 25% | |
| Potassium | 1022 mg | 22% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
