As many people may know, Chicken in Mole Sauce is one of the top dishes that represent our gastronomy not just in Mexico but on the global culinary stage, as well. The original recipe includes a long list of ingredients that frightens many novice cooks. But don’t worry, I love mole and it is a favorite here at home when we celebrate a birthday or holiday. I’m sure everyone will love this version, too, especially if you’ve never prepared mole before and want to start off with a less complicated version. This recipe allows you to slowly add the other ingredients that are a part of the traditional recipe of Mole Poblano.
Chicken in Mole Sauce Recipe
PAM Cooking Spray sponsored this blog post. The opinions and recipe are all mines.

One thing that many people worry about when making a meal like this is the amount of time needed to cook it (and to clean up afterward). Well, as old I am, I only recently found a little trick to use to make the process less messy. When roasting the tomatoes on the comal/griddle, I lightly spray some PAM Cooking Spray over the griddle and voila, you have a quick and painless cleanup! Since I found this trick, I have less trouble cleaning the comal/griddle (even though it’s a non-stick pan, I used to always have messy residue). I know a lot of people use it for baking and grilling, but I’ve realized that I’ve been using PAM Cooking Spray for several other uses. For example, while you have your yeast bread rising, spray the plastic wrap with PAM Cooking Spray when you cover the dough to avoid it from sticking. You can also spray it on gelatin molds; it makes your gelatin come out nice and easy. Who knew, right?
How to make Chicken in Mole Sauce
DIRECTIONS:
- Place the chicken, onion, and garlic clove in a stockpot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, skimming off the foam that forms on the surface with a spoon. Reduce heat and add the celery and the parsley branch. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- While the chicken is cooking, lightly toast the peppers on a warm griddle, turning frequently to avoid them burning and having a bitter taste. This step will take seconds. Place in the bowl and cover them with warm water to soak after roasting for 15 minutes.
- Now, lightly spray your griddle with PAM Cooking Spray and place the tomato, onion, and garlic to roast. Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic, turning frequently until brown spots form all over them.
- Discard the soaking water of the pasilla peppers and place them in a blender with the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and one cup of chicken broth. Process until you have a very smooth sauce.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then carefully pour in the sauce. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, maybe you’ll need to pour the sauce using a strainer. If needed add more chicken broth to the sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to boil, reduce heat to simmer and add the Mexican Chocolate tablet to dissolve. Stir to avoid the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
- Remove chicken from the pot to slightly cool and discard parsley, onion, garlic, and celery from the broth. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, season with salt and pepper, and keep simmering for another 5 - 8 minutes to allow all the flavors to combine.
Serve this delicious stew with white rice and corn tortillas. Mole Sauce.
Easy Chicken Mole Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 4 Bone-in Chicken thighs and legs
- ¼ white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 celery stick cut into pieces
- 1 small parsley branch
- Enough water to cook the chicken
FOR THE MOLE SAUCE:
- 4 pasilla peppers cleaned and deveined.
- PAM Cooking Spray
- 2 plum tomatoes
- ¼ white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup chicken broth where you cooked the chicken.
- 1 Mexican chocolate tablet 3 ¼ ounces
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Place the chicken, onion, and garlic clove in a stockpot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil on medium high heat, (about 5-6 minutes) skimming off the foam that forms on the surface with a spoon. Reduce heat and add the celery and the parsley branch. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, lightly toast the peppers on a warm griddle, turning frequently to avoid them burning and having a bitter taste. This step will take seconds. Place in the bowl and cover them with warm water to soak after roasting for 15 minutes (or until softened).
- Now, lightly spray your griddle with PAM Cooking Spray and place the tomato, onion, and garlic to roast. Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic, turning frequently until brown spots form all over them.
- Discard the soaking water of the pasilla peppers and place them in a blender with the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and one cup of chicken broth. Process until you have a very smooth sauce.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then carefully pour in the sauce. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, maybe you’ll need to pour the sauce using a strainer. If needed add more chicken broth to the sauce. Cook for about 5
- minutes until it starts to boil, reduce heat to simmer and add the Mexican Chocolate tablet to dissolve. Stir to avoid the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
- Remove chicken from the pot to slightly cool and discard parsley, onion, garlic, and celery from the broth. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, season with salt and pepper, and keep simmering for another 5 – 8 minutes to allow all the flavors to combine.
Serve this delicious stew with white rice
Notes
Nutrition
Provecho!
Mely,
More recipes:
Yvonne Cruz
Mely,
I tried your easy mole recipe but I substituted a couple of things because I didn’t have all of your ingredients. I did not have fresh or dried pasilla chili so I used a 1.62 oz jar of powdered ancho chili pepper. I used 4 skinless thighs and 8 drumsticks with the skin and two tablets of Mexican chocolate as well as cooking the chicken with whole cumin and added powdered cumin when blending the sauce. I also dissolved the chocolate tablets in hot water and added it to the blender so that there were no clumps. It was delicious and a hit with my hubby! Thank you!
Maria E. Mora
the recipe calls for four Pasilla chiles, cleaned and deveined-is that fresh pasilla or the dried pasilla peppers that come in a clear bag?
Mely Martínez
Dried pasilla peppers
Wahabi Shittu
Very yummy and delicious 😋.