Mole de Pollo(Chicken In a Mole Sauce)
Molé recipes can be complicated, time consuming, but so worth it in the end.
Servings 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds previously poached chicken pieces reserve all of the broth
- 10 dried chile ancho
- 10 dried chile guajillo or chile california for a darker mole, replace guajillo( or california) with chile negro(pasilla) or mulato
- 3 dried chile chipotle
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup of raisins
- 5 Roma tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion cut into thick slices
- 4 serrano peppers stems removed
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds plus another 1/4 cup for garnish
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick broken in half
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1/3 cup of roasted peanuts or 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
- 12 saltine crackers or 1 toasted bolillo roll sliced
- 2 corn tortilla tostadas, blackened slightly
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil or more traditional pork lard
- 1 disk of Mexican chocolate 3 ounces , broken into pieces
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, optional
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat comal (griddle) to medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove stems and seeds from the dried peppers. Transfer to comal. Toast for a few minutes, turning as needed. Do not leave them unattended or they will burn and become bitter. Transfer the peppers to a pot of simmering water Cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Drain liquid from peppers, transfer to the blender. Add 3 cups of reserved chicken broth, 1/2 tablespoon of cumin and 2 teaspoons of salt. Blend on high until smooth. Strain the sauce through a wire mesh strainer for a smoother sauce. Set aside. Cover the raisins with enough hot water to cover, set aside.
- In a large pan add the almonds, pepitas, sesame seeds, anise, cinnamon stick and oregano. Heat pan to medium/low heat. Toast, stirring often, do not leave unattended, or they will burn. After about 6 to 8 minutes, remove all spices and nuts from pan and transfer to coffee or spice grinder. You may have to grind in two batches. Grind into a paste, set aside.
- Preheat broiler to high for 5 minutes. Line a baking sheet with foil paper and add tomatoes, serranos, onions and garlic. Broil for 12 minutes, turning after 6 minutes. Remove from broiler and let cool. In the blender, add the ground almonds/spice mixture, broiled tomatoes, serranos, onions, garlic, peanut butter, crackers, tostadas, cumin, drained raisins, 1/2 teaspooon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 cups of reserved chicken broth. Blend until smooth, set aside.
- This is where your mole comes together. In a large, heavy pot, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat. After 3 minutes, add the chile sauce and cook for 20 minutes. Add in the other blended sauce. Stir well to combine. When it comes to a boil, taste for salt. Add the Mexican chocolate, brown sugar and remaining 3 cups of chicken broth. Add the cooked chicken pieces and continue cooking for 1 hour The sauce will darken as it cooks. Toast the remaining sesame seeds for garnishing mole. Serve with warm tortillas, rice, beans and a fresh salad.
Notes
If you want to use previously roasted chicken from the market, you can certainly do that. I would suggest adding it to the mole sauce after it has simmered for over an hour. The sauce freezes well.
Two Ways to Prepare Chicken for Mole
- Place chicken in a large pot after rinsing. Cover with about 10-12 cups of water, 1/2 an onion, a whole bulb of garlic, 2 bay leaves, 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery and salt. Bring to a boil and poach for a good hour, skimming the top, as needed. Cook at a steady simmer for 35 minutes, skimming off the top foam as needed.
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Sear in preheated oil for 5 minutes per side. Cover with water add the same ingredients as listed above. Cook as directed.