chicken mole

Authentic Mexican Mole Sauce is made with layers of complex and bold flavors, simmered together over a long period of time before being blended until smooth. Learn how to make this delicious chicken mole and serve with warm rice, beans, wrapped in tortillas, or drizzled over your favorite tacos, nachos, and veggies.

Chicken Mole with Homemade Mole Sauce

olive oil

chicken (boneless skinless chicken breast, chicken thighs, legs, whole chicken, combo, etc))

chicken broth

orange juice

onions

pumpkin seeds (or pepitas, or sesame seeds)

almonds

garlic (sliced)

tsp cumin seeds

coriander seeds

whole anise seeds

cloves

dried pasilla chiles

dried ancho chiles

dried chipotle chiles

cinnamon

bay leaves

raisins

marjoram

thyme

oregano

tomato paste

chocolate

Fresh chopped cilantro (for serving)

Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pot, swirling to cover the entire surface. Working in batches, sauté the chicken on each side until lightly browned, approximately 3-4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large bowl. Sauté the remaining chicken breasts, adding additional olive oil to the pot, as needed.

Return the chicken with its juices back to the pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth and orange juice to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked. Approximately 25 minutes.

Carefully remove chicken to a clean bowl and set aside. Reserve broth for later use.

First cook the chicken

Heat the olive oil in a separate large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and sauté until golden brown and just starting to caramelize, approximately 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, whole anise seeds, and whole cloves to the saucepan. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, until garlic becomes fragrant, stirring continuously.

Add the dried chiles to the pot and stir to combine. Sauté for approximately 2-3 minutes or until chiles start to soften.

Grab the reserved chicken and orange juice broth and carefully pour the liquid into the saucepan with the onion and chiles. Reserve pot for later. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, raisins, marjoram, thyme, and oregano to the saucepan and mix well. Bring to a low boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until chiles are very soft, approximately 30-35 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate. Allow sauce to cool for 10 minutes and the chocolate to melt.

Working in batches, transfer sauce mixture to the bowl of a blender and puree until smooth. Avoid overfilling. Transfer mixture to the reserved pot. Repeat until all sauce is processed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Then cook the sauce

Shred the cooked chicken and combine it with approximately half of the sauce mixture. Add more sauce, if desired. Reserve the remaining sauce for later use.

Best served warm with rice or warm tortillas and sprinkled with fresh cilantro and pumpkin seeds.

Finally, put it all together

A flavorful recipe for Chicken Mole is made with Black Mole Sauce (Mole Negro)- smoky, spicy and nutty with dried chilies, and a hint of chocolate. A flavorful Oaxacan-inspired meal.

Chicken Mole Recipe 

Mole Negro Sauce

chicken

salt

cumin

coriander

chili powder

broth or stock

Make the pickled onions

Make the Mole Negro Sauce(feel free to make this ahead)

Mix the salt and spices together in a small bowl. (Aim for 1 teaspoon salt per pound of chicken). Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with the salt-spice rub.

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until golden on both sides. Add the stock, then add the Mole Negro sauce, (saving a little of it up for touching up at the end). Give the pan a good shake and make sure the chicken is coated well and nestled in. It may seem like a lot of sauce, but the extra sauce will get mopped up, I promise!

Cover and place in the oven until the thighs are cooked all the way through,(165F) about 20 minutes.  Test a piece for tenderness, it should pull apart easily with two forks. You can either leave the thighs whole or lightly shred (best for tacos). If leaving whole, feel free to lather up with remaining Mole sauce.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seed and cilantro.

This was REALLY delicious! I made the mole sauce 2 days in advance and the flavors came together beautifully. I've always loved the complexity of a good mole sauce but had never tried to make one before now. It whipped right up in the blender! I will definitely make it again.

Me and my family thought this was the best dish of 2021! Not too sweet and not too spicy, but rich with great depth of flavor. It’s a keeper, and my family, typically not Mexican food fans, have already requested a repeat performance! Thank you!

I made this and it was the best mole I’ve had-EVER! I am never disappointed with your recipes. They are spot on, delicious and present beautifully.

This was superb! I made the mole a little bit milder by adding a can of chopped tomatoes and extra peanut butter.  It was enjoyed by a wide variety of palettes, and there is ample sauce leftover for future use.  Delicious!

A HUGE hit with the family!  This was an incredible mole.  So rich and full if flavor!

Mole (Mo-Lay) sauce is something very unique, and there are countless versions of how it’s made. It’s a recipe that Latin American families take pride in, and many are family heirloom recipes.Mole sauce is a rich and spicy sauce that that is an alchemy of different flavors—tomatoes, garlic, raisins, almonds, sesame seeds, and chocolate to name a few.

Chicken Mole Torta (Mexican Pulled Chicken Sloppy Joes)

ancho chiles (dried)

peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

onion

salt and black pepper

chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (minced (these can be hot!))

garlic (smashed)

chicken stock

tomatoes ((14.5 ounce)drained)

almond butter

sesame seeds (toasted)

chicken breasts (bone-in skin-on)

refried beans ((16-ounce can) or black beans

rolls (ideally Mexican Bolillo rolls (I make my own))

iceberg lettuce (finely shredded)

jalapenos

cilantro leaves

Tomatillo Salsa (recipe follows)

Lime wedges (for garnish)

tomatillos (husk removed and rinsed well)

garlic (peeled and left whole)

jalapeno pepper

vegetable oil

cilantro

limed (juiced)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the stems and seeds from the ancho chiles and bake for 5 minutes. When cool, roughly chop and set aside.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the onions, a couple pinches of salt and saute until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved ancho chiles and minced chipotle. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add the chocolate, cinnamon, cloves and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, almond butter, raisins and sesame seeds. Gently simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Place the mole into a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute (I used an immersion blender right in the Dutch oven).

Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the mole back to the Dutch oven. Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.

Lay the chicken in the sauce in one layer, making sure each breast is entirely coated, and gently simmer, flipping once during cooking, until the breasts register 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside off the heat and let rest.

Using your hands, remove the skin and meat from the bones and discard. Shred the chicken into smaller chunks and place back into the mole to keep warm. Season if necessary.

For the chicken mole:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the stem, ribs and seeds from the jalapeno (or keep them in if you want it hot).

Toss the tomatillos, garlic, pepper and onions with the olive oil and place evenly on a baking sheet. Bake until the tomatillos and onions are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. If necessary, remove the garlic sooner to avoid scorching.

Add roasted vegetables, fresh cilantro and lime juice into a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and transfer to a bowl.

For the tomatillo sauce: You can buy bottled tomatillo sauce. However, making your own isn't that difficult and it and can be used for so many other recipes as a stand-alone recipe)

Heat the refried beans in the microwave until warm.NOTE: I don’t like canned refried beans, so I empty a can of organic black (or pinto) beans with the liquid into a skillet on medium high. Cook, until the liquid has reduced and mash. Season to your liking and serve.

Spread the beans on the bottom of the bolillo rolls. Place the chicken on top of the beans with a little extra mole.

Place some queso fresco on top of the chicken, slather the top bun with sour cream and adhere the lettuce.

Top with the pickled jalapenos and cilantro and drizzle with the Tomatillo Salsa. Close, cut sharply on the bias and serve with fresh lime wedges.

Serve with plenty of napkins

For the sandwich build:

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The most viewed chicken mole recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine