Doña María® Mole is a staple found in many Mexican kitchens, and for generations has been the easy way to fix a delicious mole in a matter of minutes.
Doña María® Mole
This post has been compensated by Doña María® Mole. The recipe and all opinions are mines alone.
This was not an exception in my house when I was growing up, and up until today, my mother still prefers to use DOÑA MARÍA® Mole when making mole celebrate my siblings’ birthdays. Of course, she enhances the mole paste by adding some extra ingredients, which is something many home cooks do to add their own touch to this dish.
Over the years, I have received many emails from you regarding how to make a mole using ready-made mole pastes. Some people ask specifically about making mole using the DOÑA MARÍA® paste, so I was very excited when I was asked to write about it in a blog post.
As many of you know, I love Mole Poblano, and cooking it from scratch is one of my passions. Unfortunately, many people (including myself) do not always have the time to prepare such an elaborate dish, and using a pre-made mole paste is your best option for making a mole without all the hassle. I guess this is why my mother has used DOÑA MARÍA® Mole all these years, as raising a family with 8 children leaves little time for cooking complicated dishes.
Doña María Mole is a favorite in many homes for special occasions.
With DOÑA MARÍA® Mole, making mole is easy and accessible. The instructions only call for diluting the paste in a good chicken broth, but as I mentioned above, most people like to add their own ingredients and spices to further enhance the flavors.
Some of the ingredients people add to the mole include peanut butter, toasted tortillas, saltine or animal crackers, toasted bread, chipotle peppers, sugar (my mom adds this), and peanuts. These are just some of the most common additions. Some cooks will roast or fry the ingredients, but I prefer to boil them, as you will see in the recipe below.
Cooking Mole really awakens your senses, and it’s a unique experience to see all the flavors, aromas, and textures come together to create a delicious dish. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we like it in our home and don’t forget to play some music while you’re cooking it! If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much I like to play music in the kitchen to add rhythm to my meals.
How to make Doña María® Mole
JUMP TO FULL RECIPE WITH INGREDIENTS
NOTES:
- If you like your Mole on the sweeter side, you can add one more quarter of the Chocolate tablet to your sauce.
- If you don’t have tortillas, use 1 slice of toasted bread, or 4 saltine crackers.
- DOÑA MARÍA® Mole is not a spicy sauce, but if you like to spice things up, add one chipotle pepper in adobo. Rinse it beforehand to remove the vinegar flavor, then add it to the blender with the cooked tomatoes.
- The lid on the jar of DOÑA MARÍA® Mole is quite easy to take off, but if you’re having trouble you can remove it using a bottle opener.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place the chicken pieces in a stockpot with the garlic, onion, celery stick (cut into 2-3 pieces), and parsley (or cilantro). Cover with water.
- Place the pot over medium-high heat, and once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes until the chicken meat is cooked and tender. Season with salt and set aside. This chicken broth is what we will use to dilute the Mole paste.
- While the chicken is cooking, place the tomato, onion, and garlic in a saucepan. Cover with water and turn the heat to medium-high. Once it comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat and cook for 8 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked.
- Once the tomatoes are cooked, drain the water and place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and the toasted tortilla in your blender. Process until you have a fine sauce, then set aside.
- Place a large frying pan over low heat and add the jar of DOÑA MARÍA® Mole and a cup of the chicken broth to start diluting the paste.
- Add one more cup of the broth along with the tomato sauce, chocolate, ground cinnamon, and ground anise seed. Stir well until the Mole paste has completely dissolved. Add more broth as needed, since the paste will get thicker as it continues cooking.
Some people like their sauce thicker than others, regulate the amount of chicken broth used in order to achieve the thickness you like. Traditional Mole sauce has the consistency of a thick gravy.
- Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, season with salt, and slowly simmer for about 5 more minutes.
Serve with rice and warm corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Check the recipe for the Traditional Mexican Red Rice!
Buen Provecho!
Mely,
📖 Recipe
Doña María® Mole
Ingredients
TO COOK THE CHICKEN
- 1 whole chicken 5 lb., cut into 8 pieces
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ white onion
- 1 Celery stick
- 2 Parsley or Cilantro sprigs
- 8 cups of water
- Salt to taste
FOR THE MOLE SAUCE
- 5 oz. tomatoes
- 1 white onion cut into thick slices
- 1 small garlic clove
- 4-5 Cups chicken broth
- 1 toasted corn tortilla*
- 1 jar 8.25 oz. DOÑA MARÍA® Mole
- ½ tablet Mexican Chocolate**
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground anise seed
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS TO COOK THE CHICKEN:
- Place the chicken pieces in a stockpot with the garlic, onion, celery stick (cut into 2-3 pieces), and parsley (or cilantro). Cover with water.
- Place the pot over medium-high heat, and once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes until the chicken meat is cooked and tender. Season with salt and set aside. This chicken broth is what we will use to dilute the Mole paste.
TO PREPARE THE MOLE DOÑA MARÍA® MOLE SAUCE
- While the chicken is cooking, place the tomato, onion, and garlic in a saucepan. Cover with water and turn the heat to medium-high. Once it comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat and cook for 8 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked.
- Once the tomatoes are cooked, drain the water and place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and the toasted tortilla in your blender. Process until you have a fine sauce, then set aside.
- Place a large frying pan over low heat and add the jar of DOÑA MARÍA® Mole and a cup of the chicken broth to start diluting the paste.
- Add one more cup of the broth along with the tomato sauce, chocolate, ground cinnamon, and ground anise seed. Stir well until the Mole paste has completely dissolved. Add more broth as needed, since the paste will get thicker as it continues cooking.
- Some people like their sauce thicker than others, regulate the amount of chicken broth used in order to achieve the thickness you like. Traditional Mole sauce has the consistency of a thick gravy.
- Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, season with salt, and slowly simmer for about 5 more minutes.
Serve with rice and warm corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you like your Mole on the sweeter side, you can add one more quarter of the Chocolate tablet to your sauce.
- If you don’t have tortillas, use 1 slice of toasted bread, or 4 saltine crackers.
- DOÑA MARÍA® Mole is not a spicy sauce, but if you like to spice things up, add one chipotle pepper in adobo. Rinse it beforehand to remove the vinegar flavor, then add it to the blender with the cooked tomatoes.
- The lid on the jar of DOÑA MARÍA® Mole is quite easy to take off, but if you’re having trouble you can remove it using a bottle opener.
Rosa
Hola Mely, I have prepared this recipe a couple of times. It has been met with great reviews. Next time I will be featuring it my menu for EL día de Los Muertos. I know it will be a hit! Thanks for sharing, Mely
Mely Martínez
Hello Rosa,
I'm sure it will be a great addition to your Dia de Muertos menu.
Deanne
Hi Mely! Can you recommend a brand of Mexican chocolate? Despite living near Houston, I can't find it in my local grocery stores, so I need to order from Amazon. Thank you!
Mely Martínez
Hello Deanne,
The most popular brands are Ibarra or abuelita. You can also the Brand TAZA and the Mayordomo brand, although this last one is a little bitter.
Maggie
Yes, my mom who was also fro MX, used this mole as a quickie to feed our large family.
Can leftover mole (without poultry) be frozen?
Gracias. Love your recipes.
Mely Martínez
Hello Maggie,
Yes, the sauce can be frozen for up to 3 or 4 weeks.
Caitlin
I'm really excited to try this! I was able to find everything needed except Mexican chocolate. Can I substitute with cocoa powder or another type of chocolate?
Mely Martínez
Hello, Yes, you can use other brand of Mexican chocolate.
Alisa A Higgins
I only use this recipe for my mole. It's a hit every time
Sara
I looked up "mole poblano with Dona Maria mole" and I was not disappointed. DM mole just doesn't quite taste right, but this recipe with simple additions did the trick! My siblings and I grew up in Mexico, and we all gave it a hearty thumbs up - que rico!
Thank you for sharing. I will be making this many times over.
Christine M Paz
Is the sample box of the Dona Maria Mole in your photos available to buy? This would be a great gift.
Mely Martínez
Hello,
It was a gift. Not sure if it is easily available from the brand.
Feliciana Garza
What do you do withe vegetables that you cook with the chicken? Discard or?
Mely Martínez
Hello Feliciana,
Yes, I discard them.
Chrysann
Absolutely wonderful! I added a couple of chipotles and it was perfect. Thank you!
Mary Margaret Thomas
My grandmother was Mexican. About 15 years ago, Mama wanted to have a Mexican Christmas dinner similar to what she had growing up. That was the only time my husband and I had chicken mole. This week, out of the blue, hubby asked if I would make that dish. The recipes I found looked complicated. I saw Dona Maria's mole jar at the grocery store and decided to give it a try. I made it before I found your site. I used my homemade broth that I keep in the freezer and followed the instructions on the jar. I roasted the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic, and made white rice. It was unbelievably delicious. Now that I have found your site will make your recipe.
Rebecca A Townsend
This Mole was amazing. I have tried Mole at restaurants, but it seemed like to big of a task to make at home. This was great for a beginner. Based on suggestions I added Peanut Butter. I also added Raisins because I love the flavor they add. I put this Mole on my enchiladas.
James
Mely, I just wanted to say how much I love your site and your cookbook. I am a fanatic for authentic Mexican food. When i was a lot younger I spent a lot of time traveling by bus through the southern part of Mexico, and one of the best things about living in Texas is that it's easy to find "real" Mexican food (not Tex-Mex). I make a lot of Mexican food at home (there's great carnicerias in Houston, as you can probably imagine) and your recipes are perfect. They really help me create that "authentic" flavors that I love so much. Thanks for all that you do! (PS, I don't do social media so I can't do "likes" on facebook or whatever they call it, but I wanted to let you now how much I love what you do.)
Alisa A Higgins
I only use this recipe, it's just the best authentic mole. Everyone that eats it loves it.