Name: Mexican Chicken Mole Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 bone-in chicken thighs; 2-3 tablespoons butter; 4 dried chiles mulato, deseeded and pan fried; 4 dried chile pasilla, deseeded and pan fried; 4 dried chipotle chiles, deseeded and boiled; 4 roma tomatoes, lightly charred; ½ red onion; 2 garlic cloves; 1/4 cup peeled almonds, boiled; 2 tablespoons raisins, pan fried; ¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted; ½ teaspoon ground anise; Reserved chili seeds from above, toasted; ¼ cup crumbled toasted bread, like bolillo or hero; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 4 whole peppercorn, or 1 teaspoon ground pepper; 4 whole cloves, or 1 teaspoons ground clove; 3 tablespoons dark chocolate or ½ Abuelita chocolate tablet; 1 cup chicken broth; Salt, as desired

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This Mexican Chicken Mole Sauce Recipe is an authentic recipe from the Mexican Gastronomy School in Mexico City, and made with many ingredients.

This Mole Poblano is as authentic as it gets. Mole has always been a complex recipe to make. This recipe is from my tenure at the Escuela de Gastronomia Mexicana. We got in teams of 5 and worked together to make the most perfect mole. I have tried many moles in my life, but this was by far the most delicious mole I have ever tasted.

Most mole sauces taste different. Some are smokier, others are sweeter and others are spicy. There is yellow mole and dark mole, which is what we are using. Ingredients include chiles, nuts, warm spices, raisins, cinnamon, cumin and tomatoes. As for the texture, this mole sauce is smooth. Making authentic mole is time consuming, but the end result is totally worth it.

If you love this recipe, feel free to check out my Mole Almendrado and my Mole Rojo.

Jump to:

What is Mole Sauce?
What do you serve Mole with?
Ingredients in Mole Sauce
How to make Chicken Mole
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Mexican Chicken Mole Sauce Recipe
Food safety

What is Mole Sauce?

The term mole refers to several types of highly seasoned Mexican sauces made primarily from chiles and spices, and which are thickened with corn, tortilla, or bread dough. It also refers to the same meat or vegetable-based stews that are usually prepared with these thick sauces. Mole is of pre-Hispanic origin, and was offered in ceremonies as an offering to the gods. Of the many existing mole variants, the most popular is mole poblano, a dark mole from Puebla. Other moles are white mole, almond mole, and Oaxacan mole.

What do you serve Mole with?

Mole is a Mexican sauce made from a combination of ingredients such as various kinds of chili peppers, chocolate, and spices, among other ingredients. The result, a sauce that is traditionally served with chicken, turkey, rice dishes and meat dishes.

Ingredients in Mole Sauce

Bone-in Chicken thighs
Butter
Dried chiles mulato
Dried chiles pasilla
Dried chipotle chilies
Tomatoes
Red onion
Garlic
Peeled almonds
Raisins
Sesame seeds
Anise
Cinnamon
Whole peppercorn
Cloves
Dark chocolate
Chicken broth
Salt

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Chicken Mole

Brown the chicken: Brown the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven or pot on medium-high heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt. Brown the chicken for 4-6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken on a plate. Remove the dutch oven from heat but save the liquid inside of it.

Make first mixture: Remove the seeds and stems from the chiles mulato, chiles pasillas, and chipotle chilies. Keep the seeds in a small bowl. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the chipotle chilies and the almonds for 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the browned chicken in the same boiling water, and boil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile that is boiling, in a pan on medium heat, toast the mulato chilies and pasilla chilies about 2-3 minutes on each side, until slightly toasted. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add the whole tomatoes, about 5 minutes, flipping once.

In a blender, add the tomatoes, chiles mulato, the chiles pasilla, chipotle chilies, red onion and garlic cloves. Add tomatoes first so it creates a liquid and then add the rest. Feel free to use a tiny bit of water to blend easier. Reserve liquid on the side - this is your first mixture. Season with salt to taste.

Make second mixture: Heat up the dutch oven back up on medium heat. Add the raisins, sesame seeds and chili seeds for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add the toasted raisins, sesame seeds, anise, almonds and chili seeds, toasted bread, ground cinnamon, pepper corn, and cloves in the blender. Use water to help blend but try to keep a thick consistency. Blend until smooth and reserve.

Add the first chili mixture into the dutch oven and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the second mixture into the pot, and simmer for an hour. Season salt to taste. Add the chocolate into the mixture, until dissolved.

Return the chicken and chicken broth and simmer for 45 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Hint: If the sauce thickens too fast, keep adding a little bit of chicken broth into the mixture.

Substitutions

Chicken: Instead of using a whole chicken, you can use chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs. Anything with the bone in.

Butter: I love using salted butter but you could always use unsalted butter and adjust the salt yourself.

Chilies: Instead of chiles mulato, you can use chiles anchos. You can buy dried chilies at your local Hispanic grocery store or the ethnic section of your grocery store. If there isn’t dried chilies anywhere, you can buy dried chilies mulato, chile pasilla, and chipotle chilies on Amazon.

Tomatoes: I used roma tomatoes, but you can use Campari, or tomatoes on the vine.

Anise: Regular anise and star anise can be used interchangeably when ground. Be aware that star anise is much stronger that anise, so use a little less if going that route.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Spicy - modify the amount of chili seeds you use. For more heat, add them al. For a mild heat, add less.
Deluxe - Serve on a bed of rice.
Kid friendly - Take the chicken and shred and place with mole on a sandwich or tostada.

Check out my Pork in Peanut Sauce.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here.

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The sauce can be frozen for up to three months.

Top tip

Make sure to use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked through. Use as little but necessary water as possible when blending the first and second mixtures.