mole negro recipe

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

onions

chicken

salt

cumin

coriander

chili powder

cinnamon

olive oil

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!

How to make Mole Negro Sauce- a deep, smoky, slightly spicy sauce that hails from Mexico made with dried black chilies, warming spices and a hint of bittersweet chocolate. Trust me, you'll want to put this on everything. Vegan! Make this in 35 minutes!

chilies

broth

prunes (or dark raisins)

onion-

6-10 garlic cloves- smashed

cumin (ground

coriander (ground

oregano

nutmeg

cloves

chipotle adobo sauce

peanut butter (or sub tahini paste, almond butter, cashew butter)

chocolate

Tear the dried chilies apart (or cut with scissors) discard seeds and stems and place them in a dry skillet. Toast over medium heat until they begin to release their oils (they will take on a slight sheen), 3-4 minutes.

Place them in medium pot, add 4 cups of broth. Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat down to low and simmer covered, 10 minutes.

Add the prunes, stir, cover, simmer on low 10 more minutes, turn the heat off, let cool, saving the liquid.

At the same time, saute the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil, over medium heat, stirring often until deeply golden brown, about 10 minutes. Take your time here and let them get dark. Add all the spices and stir 1-2 more minutes, toasting the spices.

Place the cooked onion-spice mixture in a blender along with the chilies and prunes and all the liquid, and chipotles and the adobo sauce ( if using).  Feel free to add a little more broth to get the blender going. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides. If it feels very thick, loosen with more broth. It should be like the consistency of a thick smoothie. Once silky smooth, pour this back into the pan and heat over low heat, covering.

When warm, stir in the salt, peanut butter and chocolate. Once the chocolate is fully melted and incorporated, give a taste.

Adjust seasonings

Add more heat if you like (chipotle sauce or chipotle powder). Add more chocolate if you like. It should taste deep and smokey, slightly salty and slightly sweet. If it lacks depth, more salt may help bring out the other flavors or a tiny splash of soy sauce.  To add more sweetness, a tiny splash of agave or maple syrup will help here.  If you want it smokier, stir in smoked paprika or adobo sauce from the canned chipotles. If it is too spicy, add more peanut butter and broth and reseason with salt.

To loosen the sauce, feel free to add more broth or stock.

Absolutely wonderful and I didn’t even have all the right ingredients!   So happy I found this site.  I’ve been making many dishes to rave reviews, but this is my first time commenting.  
I love mole sauce and judge a Mexican restaurant by its mole.  I made the recipe as directed with two exceptions: I only had one type of dried Chile (ancho), and I was forced to substitute dates for the prunes/raisins.  I did have the chipotle in adobo sauce and took care to remove most of the seeds to control heat.  It came out perfect! Smooth, not too sweet with a small bite… some heat but not too much.  I used it in the chicken mole recipe. Loved it!

Wow. Wow. Wow. Amazing mole recipe! I've been keeping my eye on this recipe and was going to wait until more reviews were posted before attempting it... but I just went for it. The result was incredible and totally worth the risk! Used chipolte and acho chiles and the sauce is spicy, rich, and complex. My batch needed a bit more chocolate to even it out the flavors. This one is going in the make again folder for sure. Thank you!

I am relatively new to this website and loved this recipe so much that I had to leave a review. Excellent flavor with so much flexibility!

I followed the recipe exactly and even my husband took notice of the wonderful blend of flavors. I frequently order mole when dining out but I was so satisfied with this recipe that I can look for something else on a menu now. 

I am sure that an individual’s spice selection can impact the recipe negatively if using inferior products or old expired bottles. I always order from Penzey’s and found that using a blend of Adobe chili powder and Medium heat chili powder provided perfect heat (along with the adobe peppers/sauce) and the blend of dried peppers I found at Safeway.

The sauce is very rich and beautiful and freezes well. I made simple chicken enchiladas and froze the rest of the sauce and assembled chicken/veggie quesadilla with sauce on the inside with cheese for a quick dinner. I also mixed a small amount with sour cream to add a fresh green salad on the side. Thanks for making me look like a pro on my first attempt of making mole!

I am looking forward to sharing this beautiful creation with friends now that I have given it a try.

This is a wonderful recipe, especially because the author shares some details about each kind of chile pepper and gives some choices. I used 3 kinds of chiles, adding chiles negros, and I added fresh cherries (no pits) to the pepper pot, since I didn't have as many prunes as called for, and I added a few tomatillos to the onion mix... it seemed like the kind of recipe where I could experiment. I also boiled cut chicken in broth with bay leaves and onions, and then i put the sauce on the chicken in casserole dishes and baked at the end. The dish was FANTASTIC!  A rich, wonderful flavor and such an artistic experience! It did take a little longer than the recipe suggested, but I was taking my time, tasting everything, noticing how well the many flavors and smells connected... really a terrific recipe. THANKS!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/uH3y02xF.mp4

How to make Mole Negro Sauce ( aka black Mole sauce) a deep, smoky, slightly spicy sauce that hails from Mexico made with dried black chilies, warming spices and a hint of bittersweet chocolate. Trust me, you’ll want to put this on everything. Video 

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Chicken Mole Recipe

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