WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Hailing from the Puebla region of Mexico, mole poblano is a rich, deep red sauce made from chiles, nuts, spices, fruit, and chocolate. The most famous of Mexico’s many moles, it’s the style of mole you’re apt to find on most restaurant menus. But the process to make traditional mole poblano is lengthy and complicated, taking several hours (or even several days) to complete. We set out to bring mole poblano to the American home kitchen without losing the rich, deeply complex flavor that makes mole so appealing. Although traditional mole poblano relies on as many as six types of chiles, we pared our recipe down to two: ancho, which lent a full chile flavor base, and chipotle, which amped up the intensity of the chile flavor and provided a hint of heat and smokiness. Breaking the chiles into small pieces and rehydrating them right in the sauce (rather than in plain water) ensured that our sauce was fully infused with chile flavor. As for the nuts and seeds, we liked the rich, creamy flavors of toasted almonds and sesame seeds. Using almond butter instead of ground almonds was a simple shortcut that lent a luxurious, velvety texture to the sauce. For the chocolate, just 1 ounce added richness and depth but didn’t make the sauce taste chocolaty. To round out the flavor of our mole, we added warmth and a touch of sweetness with cinnamon, cloves, and raisins. Sautéing the chiles, chocolate, and spices along with the onion and garlic deepened the flavor of the final sauce, and we found that we could sauté everything together to streamline our prep work, although many traditional recipes called for sautéing each ingredient individually. Simmering the mole for just 10 minutes thickened the sauce to the perfect consistency. Bone-in chicken pieces worked perfectly with our mole, although removing the skin was essential since it turned inedibly soggy when covered in sauce. Feel free to substitute ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder or ½ teaspoon minced canned chipotles in adobo sauce for the chipotle chile (we noted little difference in flavor) and add with the cinnamon in step 2. Serve with rice.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (½ cup)
- ½ dried chipotle chile, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (scant tablespoon)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ounce bittersweet, semisweet, or Mexican chocolate, chopped coarse
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish, toasted
- Salt and pepper
- Sugar
- 3½ pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts, legs, and/or thighs), skin removed, trimmed
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Toast anchos and chipotle in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes; transfer to plate. Add oil and onion to now-empty skillet and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in cinnamon, cloves, chocolate, and toasted chiles and cook until chocolate is melted and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, tomatoes, raisins, almond butter, and sesame seeds and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and measures about 2½ cups, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to blender and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; loosen with water as needed before continuing.)
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow baking dish and cover with mole sauce, turning to coat chicken evenly. Bake, uncovered, until breasts register 160 degrees, and thighs or drumsticks register 175 degrees, 35 to 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
