This authentic chicken mole recipe is true to the Mexican tradition, with balanced and complex flavors. The blend of sweet and savory ingredients makes this dish a favorite for weddings, birthday and special celebrations. Serve this mole poblano with rice, beans and corn tortillas for a traditional presentation.
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, bring 9 cups of water to a boil. Then, add the chicken pieces.
Continue boiling the chicken on medium heat for 15 minutes. Skim off any foam that surfaces.
Add all vegetables to the soup, and continue boiling for 15 more minutes.
Remove the chicken pieces, and set them aside for later.
Strain most of the vegetables from the soup, and retain the broth for the mole sauce.
Mole Sauce
Begin dry roasting each ingredient (one at a time) in a greased skillet or saucepan, except for the chocolate and bolillo, tortilla, and crackers. The peppers, onion, tomato, and tomatillo may take 2-3 minutes, while the seeds and spices may only require 1-2 minutes of roasting. Take care not to heat the peppercorns too long, as this can cause bitterness.
Add enough oil in the skillet to make the corn tortilla crisp and brown the crust of the bolillo, pressing it flat if needed. In the remaining oil, lightly toast the crackers.
Blend the sesame seeds in a grinder or mortar and pestle (molcajete). Reserve a small amount to sprinkle on top of your mole as garnish. Then, separately, grind the pepitas and peppercorn/cloves.
Add all mole ingredients to the chicken broth, including the chocolate disk, and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Do not add the chicken at this step.
Once the ingredients are well steeped, blend the mole sauce in a food processor, working in batches if necessary. As a final step, add more salt or sugar to taste.
You can freeze some of the mole sauce if desired. Otherwise, add a tablespoon of oil to a pan before adding the mole sauce and cooking it slightly before adding your chicken pieces.
Once the chicken is well coated, serve it with a garnish of toasted sesame seeds on top.
Notes
For a smaller batch, reduce the broth, chicken, and mole ingredients by roughly half. In place of homemade chicken broth, you can substitute store-bought broth (preferably low-sodium). You can also mix a small amount of chicken bouillon (consomme) or vegetable bouillon with water. The mole sauce freezes well. After defrosting, simply reheat the sauce with a small amount of oil before adding the chicken pieces or another protein of your choice.Feel free to experiment with other types of chiles, seeds, or thickeners (breading).