One of my favorite dishes to make during the cooler months is Mexican chicken mole. Bone-in juicy chicken smothered in a deep, rich, flavorful mole sauce… delicioso! The best part? The mole sauce is made with chocolate and pasilla peppers that combine for a sweet yet spicy taste.
As many people may know, chicken mole is one of the top dishes that represent our gastronomy not just in Mexico but on the global culinary stage, as well.
So many different chefs and cultures have taken turns in creating more versions of this authentic recipe. While they may all be good, nothing beats the original chicken mole!
The original recipe includes a long list of ingredients that frightens many novice cooks. But, don’t worry- my recipe is not that complicated! I love to make 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.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Chicken Mole Recipe
Before I share my recipe, here are a few questions I’ve been asked about how to make chicken mole.
What does mole chicken actually taste like?
This chicken recipe had some spicy flavors but also smoky-sweet notes at the same time. It's like an explosion of flavors in your mouth that really compliment each other!
Do all mole sauces have chocolate in them?
No. There are actually different kinds of moles like Mole Verde or Mole Amarillo that don't have any chocolate in them.
What is the difference between red mole and black mole?
Red mole is also called mole poblano. It is sweeter, spicier, and uses different kinds of peppers such as:
- Pasilla
- Guajillo
- Ancho
Do I have to use chicken?
No! You can ultimately use any kind of meat you like ut I found I like chicken the best with this mole recipe.
How can I make clean-up easier for this recipe?
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, in all of my years in cooking, 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 had less trouble cleaning the comal/griddle (even though it’s a non-stick pan, I used to always have messy residue).
Easy Chicken Mole
Let's jump into this recipe! Here is a list of ingredients you'll need to make this dish.
Chicken
- Bone-in chicken thighs and legs
- White onion
- Garlic
- Celery
- Parsley
Mole Sauce
- Pasilla peppers (cleaned and deveined)
- Plum tomatoes
- White onion
- Garlic
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken broth
- Mexican chocolate tablet
- Salt and pepper
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
How To Make Authentic Chicken Mole: Step By Step Tutorial
To make things easier for you, I am going to break down the directions to this recipe into sections.
Cook The Chicken
- 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.
Roast The Peppers, Tomato, Onion, and Garlic
- 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 veggies to roast. Roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic turning frequently until brown spots form all over them.
Blend The Sauce
- Discard the soaking water of the pasilla peppers and place them in a blender with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and one cup of chicken broth.
- Process until you have a very smooth sauce.
Make Chicken Mole Sauce
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then carefully pour in 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.
Tip: 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.
Add The Chicken To The Sauce
- Remove the chicken from the pot to slightly cool and discard parsley, onion, garlic, and celery from the broth. Add the chicken to the simmering mole sauce, season with salt and pepper, and keep simmering for another 5 - 8 minutes to allow all the flavors to combine.
Serve and enjoy!
What To Serve With Mexican Chicken Mole Recipe
Mole sauce is a great addition to a lot of dishes and can be paired with many different types of meats. Serve this delicious chicken with some white rice and homemade corn tortillas. You can even use it to make stuffed enchiladas as well!
That's all you need to make this a really filling and delicious meal.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed this mole recipe, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
- Chicken with Rice
- Roast Chicken
- Chicken Tinga Recipe
- Creamy Chipotle Chicken Breast
- Braised Chicken With Tomatoes
I hope you make this easy chicken mole recipe! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
Chicken Mole Sauce
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.
Kathy
I would love to try this recipe. I am new to Mexican cuisine. Could you tell me what brand of mexican chocolate tablets to buy? It would be great if you add links for which brands to buy.
Thanks
Mely Martínez
Hello Kathy,
You cna buy the "Ibarra" or the abuelita Brand.
Wahabi Shittu
Very yummy and delicious 😋.
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
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!