Photograph of the finished Mole poblano

Mexico · Mole Puebla sô cô la Mole poblano

Mole poblano

2 hr 20 min Hands-on time
HardDifficulty
5 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Chicken breast Chicken breast 14.1 oz
  • Photograph of Mexican dried chillies Mexican dried chillies 16
  • Photograph of Mexican chocolate (chocolate de mesa) Mexican chocolate (chocolate de mesa) 2.8 oz
  • Photograph of Sliced almonds Sliced almonds 2.1 oz
  • Photograph of Raisins Raisins 2.1 oz
  • Photograph of Roasted sesame seeds Roasted sesame seeds 1.4 oz
  • Photograph of Cinnamon Cinnamon 4 bars
  • Photograph of Cloves Cloves 8 buds
  • Photograph of Tortilla Tortilla 4
  • Photograph of Tomato Tomato 4

Method

  1. 1 Roast each type of dried chili separately for 30 seconds on each side until fragrant but not bitter, then soak in hot water for 25 minutes.
  2. 2 Toast almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, and cloves in a dry pan for 5 minutes, then fry a tortilla until golden brown and crispy.
  3. 3 Grind the chilies together with the roasted seeds, raisins, roasted tomatoes, and fried tortillas; the tortillas are the traditional thickening agent instead of flour.
  4. 4 Strain the sauce through a sieve, then fry in oil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce separates and turns a dark, woody color.
  5. 5 Melt the Mexican chocolate, add 250 ml of broth, and cook the chicken for 25 minutes; the sauce is ready when the sweet and bitter flavors are balanced with the chili.

With an appliance

  • Pressure cooker 1 hr 40 min

    Replace the chicken cooking step in step 5: after mixing the chocolate and broth, cook the chicken under high pressure for 8 minutes, then release the pressure naturally for 8 minutes; step 4 still involves frying the sauce with the lid open for a full 20 minutes to allow the mole to separate and darken in color.

Start cooking