Molé recipes can be complicated, time consuming, but so worth it in the end.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 2 hourshours
Total Time 3 hourshours
Servings 6Servings
Ingredients
4 poundspreviously poached chicken piecesreserve all of the broth
10dried chile ancho
10dried chile guajillo or chile californiafor a darker mole, replace guajillo( or california) with chile negro(pasilla) or mulato
3dried chile chipotle
8cupschicken broth
1/3cupof raisins
5Roma tomatoes
1medium white onioncut into thick slices
4serrano peppersstems removed
10clovesof garlic
1/4cupslivered almonds1/4 cup pepitas
1/4cupsesame seedsplus another 1/4 cup for garnish
1teaspoonanise seeds
2inchpiece of cinnamon stickbroken in half
2teaspoonsMexican oregano
1/3cupof roasted peanuts or 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
12saltine crackers or 1 toasted bolillo rollsliced
2corn tortilla tostadas, blackened slightly
1teaspoonof ground cumin
1teaspoonsaltmore to taste
1/2teaspoonpepper
4tablespoonsavocado oil or more traditional pork lard
1disk of Mexican chocolate3 ounces , broken into pieces
2tablespoonsbrown 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.