Chicken in Mole Sauce

Name: Chicken in Mole Sauce
Total time: P1H
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: chipotle chili peppers; vegetable shortening; red chili peppers; chicken broth; flour tortillas; tomato sauce; onions; raisins, seedless; walnuts; sesame seeds; pepitas (pumpkin seeds); peanut butter; sugar; oregano; cocoa powder; star anise; cinnamon; cloves, ground; nutmeg; allspice; ginger; cumin; chicken broth; chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless

Submitted by mtsar

Chicken simmers in a rich, complex mole sauce built from chipotle chili, cocoa, peanut butter, sesame seeds, raisins, and warm spices. Authentic Mexican mole that’s worth every minute.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

30 min

READY

1 hrs

Mole is the crown jewel of Mexican cooking, and this recipe does it proud.

The sauce layers smoky chipotle with cocoa powder, peanut butter, toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and raisins. Warm spices like cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cumin, and allspice weave through every spoonful, creating a sauce so deep and complex you’ll taste something new each time.

Flour tortillas get blended right into the sauce as a thickener, a traditional technique that gives the mole its velvety body.

Boneless chicken breasts poach gently in the finished sauce until tender, soaking up all that smoky, nutty, slightly sweet richness.

Pro Tips

Soak the dried chipotle for a full hour so it softens completely and blends smooth into the sauce
Toast the ground red chiles in shortening carefully, adding a few drops of water to prevent scorching; this blooms the flavor dramatically
Blend the sauce in small batches for the smoothest, silkiest consistency
Make the mole sauce a day ahead if you can; like most complex sauces, it tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld
Serve with warm corn tortillas, Mexican rice, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds on top

Ingredients

EACH CHIPOTLE CHILI PEPPER
dried *

CUP VEGETABLE SHORTENING *

TABLESPOONS RED CHILI PEPPER
ground

CUPS CHICKEN BROTH

FLOUR TORTILLA *

CUP TOMATO SAUCE

CUP ONIONS
chopped

TABLESPOON RAISINS, SEEDLESS

TABLESPOON WALNUTS
chopped

TABLESPOON SESAME SEED

TABLESPOON PEPITAS (PUMPKIN SEEDS)
shelled

TABLESPOON PEANUT BUTTER

1 ½

TEASPOONS SUGAR

1 ½

TEASPOONS OREGANO
ground

1 ½

TEASPOONS COCOA POWDER

TEASPOON STAR ANISE

TEASPOON CINNAMON

TEASPOON CLOVES, GROUND

TEASPOON NUTMEG

TEASPOON ALLSPICE
ground

TEASPOON GINGER
ground

TEASPOON CUMIN
ground

CUP CHICKEN BROTH

EACH BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST
**

Directions

Flour tortillas should be 7 to 8-inches in diameter and be cut into small pieces.

** Chicken breast halves should be boneless and the total weight should be about 4 lbs.

Cover chile with warm water.

Let stand until softened, about 1 hour.

Drain and finely chop.

Heat shortening in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot.

Cook and stir ground red chiles in shortening until brown (add about ¼ teaspoon water to prevent scorching if necessary); cool.

Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth.

Stir in remaining ingredients except the remaining 1 cup of broth and chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce the heat and cover. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; cool. Place a small amount of the sauce into a blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth. Repeat with the remaining sauce. Heat 1 cup of the sauce and the remaining chicken broth in a 12-inch skillet; reduce the heat. Place the chicken, skin sides up, in a single layer in the skillet. Cover and simmer until done, about 1 hour. Remove chicken to serving dish and keep warm. Measure the cooking liquid. In skillet combine 1 cup of the cooking liquid with the remaining sauce and heat to boiling, stirring constantly, and pour over the chicken.