The Best Chicken Mole Recipe | Authentic Mexican Food (2024)

This chicken mole recipe reminds me of my childhood home where aromas of spices, onion, and garlic wafted out from the kitchen daily. While this recipe calls for numerous toasted ingredients, adapting the recipe to suit your own tastes is part of the fun.

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Why Make Mole from Scratch?

This chicken mole recipe was prepared with love by my mother and me. Over the years, my mother (who is known for her traditional Mexican dishes) has tried countless variations of mole recipes.

We finally perfected the sauce we’re sharing with you today.

If you can buy premade mole sauces, why should you go through the effort to make your own?

Well, in our opinion, the store-bought sauces don’t seem to deliver the same quality anymore. If you need shortcuts, though, I’ll offer a few substitutions.

What is “mole” and how do you pronounce it?

Mole (pronounced “moh-leh”) is a rich, reddish brown sauce that originated in Mexico and can vary greatly in styles and preparation. Our recipe is modeled after the classic style of mole called mole poblano.

In my family’s Tex-Mex tradition, mole is typically served with chicken or turkey, along with Mexican rice and charro beans. However, you can also pour the sauce over enchiladas or tamales.

Common Mole Ingredients

As you’ll see in the recipe, these ingredients are first toasted to draw out the flavor of each ingredient before being blended and combined with water or chicken broth.

Mole Origin

As told in my family, the “legend of mole” involves a group of nuns preparing a special meal for the arrival of church dignitaries. The sisters used what they could find to concoct a new dish, hence the wide range of ingredients found in authentic mole recipes.

(Wikipedia seems to back up this legend.)

There are competing claims between Mexican states (Oaxaca and Puebla) about when mole entered the scene. Mole from Oaxaca tends to have a darker color (mole negro), and many other colorful varieties exist in that region. In the Texas border region (where my family originated), the more common style is mole poblano from Puebla.

One thing is clear: the name mole means “concoction” or “mix” (archaic), and the recipe combines a smorgasbord of ingredients. That’s why I love it!

How to Prepare Chicken Broth for Mole

For an easier chicken mole recipe, you can skip the step of making broth and buy a rotisserie or shredded chicken. However, going through the effort usually pays off in the end with enhanced flavor.

To begin, boil 8-9 cups of water in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Then, add chicken pieces and continue boiling on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Skim away any foam as the chicken boils.

Tip: For two chicken fryers (about 3 lbs each), you’ll need 8-9 cups of water. You can adjust this amount based on the amount of chicken you plan to serve.

Next, add cut vegetables to your soup. We recommend using celery, cilantro, bell pepper, yellow onion and crushed garlic. Boil the soup for another 15 minutes. Then remove the chicken pieces and set them aside.

Strain some of the veggies out of the broth and retain the liquid to serve as the base of the mole sauce.

How to Make Chicken Mole Sauce (with Variations)

Dried Chile Peppers

The heart of mole sauce lies in the peppers.

This chicken mole recipe has mild spiciness and uses three types of dried peppers: guajillo, pasilla, and ancho peppers.

(You can also find ancho peppers in my red enchiladas recipe.)

Other pepper options include chiles de árbol (fairly spicy) and mulato chiles (mild). To get a sense of a pepper’s spiciness, you can reference this chile heat scale.

Always start by removing the stems and seeds from your chile pods. Rinsing the chiles in cool water also helps to release seeds that stick to the skin.

Dry Roasting and Toasting Mole Ingredients

Next, you’ll gradually roast or toast each of the ingredients in a skillet or saucepan, except for the chocolate tablet.

By dry roasting the peppers, citrus fruits, seeds, raisins, vegetables, and spices in a greased skillet, you enhance the flavor of the mole.

For the breading (bolillo and tortillas), you will need to add a bit of oil for browning. You can then lightly toast the crackers in the remaining oil.

After roasting, blend the seeds, nuts, and peppercorns/cloves in a grinder or molcajete, one by one.

Then, add all of your ingredients into the chicken broth with the chocolate. Let the mixture simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Tip: If you skipped making homemade chicken broth, simply bring your water (or premade broth) to a boil first. You can also add chicken bouillon (consommé) to water for a quick and easy broth.

Blending the Mole Sauce

Once the ingredients have steeped, begin blending the mixture in a food processor. Take care not to overfill the processor, and blend the mole sauce in batches if necessary.

After all ingredients are blended, add 1-2 teaspoons of salt and sugar (or as much as you like) to taste. You can then freeze portions of the sauce if desired.

Before adding your chicken, add a tablespoon of oil to your pot and cook the sauce down slightly on medium heat. Then add the chicken pieces and coat well before plating. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top for a finishing touch.

Now, enjoy your delicious chicken mole with tortillas de maiz, arroz, frijoles, and maybe even a margarita. You’ve earned it! If you liked this chicken mole recipe, please drop me a line below!

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Thanks for following along, and please tag @firstdayofhome on Instagram if you try this recipe!

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