Traditional Chicken Mole from Scratch
Submitted by chino90
Build authentic mole from dried chilis, cocoa, almonds, and warm spices. This rich, velvety sauce clings to tender chicken with layers of smoky, bitter, and sweet complexity.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minMole is not a weeknight dinner. Mole is a statement.
This is the real deal: dried Mexican chilis, toasted almonds, bitter cocoa, warm cinnamon, and aromatic cloves all simmered together and blended into a sauce so complex it’ll make you wonder why you ever settled for anything from a jar.
The sauce starts smoky and earthy, hits you with a whisper of chocolate bitterness, then finishes with warm spice that lingers on your tongue.
Serve it the traditional way with rice, beans, warm tortillas, and if you’re feeling ambitious, a side of tamales.
This is the kind of cooking that fills your kitchen with aromas your neighbors will ask about.
Pro Tips
- Toast the dried chilis briefly in a dry skillet before adding to the pot. This wakes up their oils and deepens the smoky flavor.
- Use Mexican oregano if you can find it. It’s earthier and more citrusy than Mediterranean oregano and makes a noticeable difference.
- Blend the sauce thoroughly until silky smooth. A gritty mole is a sad mole. Use a high-powered blender or pass through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Don’t skip the almonds. They add body and richness that thickens the sauce naturally without flour or cream.
- Make it a day ahead. Like all great braises, mole tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld.
Ingredients
Directions
HEAT THE OIL in a large, lidded skillet and brown the chicken pieces on all sides.
Add all other ingredients, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is done, about 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken to a platter and set aside.
Place the cooking liquid in a blender or food processor and blend until as smooth as possible.
Return the sauce to the skillet, replace the chicken and cook everything together another 10 minutes.
Serve with tortillas, rice, beans and tamales.
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