Authentic Mole Poblano Recipe

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If our molten chocolate-colored sauce just teased you on Reels, TikTok, or Facebook, bienvenidos! Here’s the full printable authentic mole poblano recipe so you can pour Puebla’s most beloved mole over chicken tonight.

A Quick History of Mole Poblano

Legend says nuns in Puebla hurriedly combined pantry staples, dried chiles, nuts, old bread, and cacao to honor a visiting archbishop in the 17th century. Whether myth or marketing, the result was a complex, bittersweet spicy sauce that soon crowned festive tables across Mexico. Today, mole poblano is a culinary icon, served at weddings, baptisms, and Día de los Muertos.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Restaurant-level depth at home. Toasting and a slow simmer unlock more than 30 flavor notes.
• Freezer-friendly. One pot makes 8 cups. Save half for next month.
• Naturally gluten-free. Thickened with corn tortillas instead of bread.
• Protein-flexible. Chicken, turkey, pork, or roasted veggies all shine under mole.

Ingredient Spotlight

Step-by-Step Overview

1. Toast and soak chiles. Toast them for 30 seconds per side in a dry pan, then soak in hot water for 15 minutes.
2. Brown aromatics. Sauté onion, garlic, plantain, and raisins until golden.
3. Toast nuts, seeds, and spices. In the same pan, toast sesame, almonds, peanuts, and spices until fragrant.
4. Blend. In batches with reserved chile water and stock until smooth.
5. Fry the purée. Return to pot with lard or oil. Simmer 15 minutes while stirring.
6. Simmer and finish. Add remaining stock and chocolate. Cook 45 minutes until thick ribbons form.
7. Serve. Spoon over poached chicken and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Authentic Mole Poblano Recipe

Belinda Gonzalez

Mole poblano is a thick, silky, bittersweet-spicy sauce of chiles, nuts, seeds, fruit and chocolate, traditionally ladled over tender chicken. This made-from-scratch version stays true to Puebla’s classic flavor while using ingredients available in most Latin markets.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 10 servings

Equipment

• Large Stock Pot
• cast iron skillet
• Medium Saute Pan
• Molcajete or spice grinder/coffee grinder
• Blender
• Strainer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Boiling Chicken

• 5 pounds chicken thighs see note 2
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 head Garlic, tip removed not the root
• 1 whole yellow onion peeled
• Salt to taste

Mole sauce

• ½ cup lard See note 1
• 4 garlic cloves
• ¼ yellow onion
• 6-7 Pasilla Chiles, seeds reserved
• 6-7 Ancho Chiles, seeds reserved
• 6 Morita Chiles see note 3
• 5 mulato Chiles, seeds reserved
• ⅓ cup Almonds
• ⅓ heaping cup Raw peanuts
• ⅓ cup Raisins
• ⅓ cup Pumpkin Seeds
• ⅓ cup Sesame seeds, reserve 1Tbsp some for toppings
• 1 Corn tortilla
• 1 small ripe plantain
• ½ cup Animal Crackers See note 4
• 1 Tablet Mexican Drinking Chocolate
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp Anise seeds
• 1 tsp Whole Peppercorns
• 1 tsp Allspice berries
• Salt to Taste
• Chicken bouillon, optional

Instructions

 

Make the Broth

• Place chicken, bay leaves, garlic head, onion and salt in a stockpot. Cover with water by 2 in / 5 cm and simmer 40 minutes. Lift out chicken; strain and reserve 8 cups hot broth. Chill broth overnight if desired.
  

Toast Chiles & Garlic

• On a hot comal, toast pasilla, ancho, morita, mulato chiles and garlic (skin on) in batches until pliable and fragrant, 10–15 sec per side.
  
• Slip garlic skins off; transfer chiles & garlic to a bowl and cover with hot broth to re-hydrate.
  

Toast Spices

• In a dry skillet, toast the reserved chile seeds, cinnamon stick, anise, peppercorns and allspice until aromatic, 1 min.
• reserved chile seeds
  
• cinnamon stick
  
• anise, peppercorns and all spices
  
• Grind to a powder in a molcajete/spice grinder; set aside.
  

Fry Nuts & Seeds

• Heat 2 Tbsp lard in the same pan.
  
• Fry raisins until they puff; remove to a plate.
  
• Fry peanuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds until golden; remove.
  
• Almonds
  
• Pumpkin Seeds
  
• Sauté sesame seeds 30 sec; reserve 1 Tbsp for garnish.
  

Fry Tortilla, Plantain & Crackers

• Add more lard as needed. Fry tortilla until crisp and deep-gold; remove.
  
• Fry plantain slices with ¼ onion until caramelized; remove.
  
• Fry animal crackers until lightly browned; remove.
  

Blend the Mole in Batches

• Working in portions, blend soaked chiles & garlic with some broth plus each fried item (nuts, seeds, fruit, tortilla, crackers) until silky smooth, adding broth as needed. Strain each batch through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
  

Cook the Sauce

• In a wide Dutch oven, melt 2 Tbsp lard. Pour in the strained mole base (it will splatter) and simmer 20 min, stirring often.
  

Finish & Season.

• Stir in ground spice mix, Mexican chocolate and 2–3 cups broth until the sauce coats a spoon but still flows. Simmer 15 min more; salt to taste. For a thinner mole, whisk in additional broth.
  
• Mexican Chocolate
  
• Coats spoon but still flows
  

Serve

• Return chicken pieces to the pot to warm, or plate chicken and ladle mole over the top.
  
• Garnish with reserved sesame seeds.
  

Video

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Notes

• Lard substitutes – Use vegetable shortening or neutral oil if preferred.
• Chicken cuts – Thighs stay juicy, but legs, drumsticks or mixed parts work.
• Heat level – Morita chiles bring the spice; add fewer for mild mole.
• Cracker swap – Animal crackers equal about ½ baguette, bolillo or 5 Maria cookies.
• Leftovers – Mole keeps 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. Reheat gently with a splash of broth.
• Serving ideas – Spoon over turkey, pork or roasted veggies; use as enchilada filling, taco sauce, or drizzle on tamales.

Keyword authentic mole sauce, brown mole, Chicken, chicken mole, Mole, mole poblano, puebla mole, sauce

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Storage and Make Ahead

• Refrigerate. Sauce keeps for 5 days in the fridge.
• Freeze. Store for up to 4 months in labeled pint containers.
• Reheat. Warm gently with a splash of chicken stock if thickened.

Variations

• Oaxacan twist. Add one roasted tomatillo and a pinch of hoja santa.
• Vegetarian. Swap chicken stock with veggie broth and serve over cauliflower steaks.
• Spicier. Double the chipotle or add a chile de árbol.

FAQs

Does mole always include chocolate?
Yes in Puebla-style mole, but some regional moles skip chocolate entirely.

Why fry the purée?
The searing step caramelizes sugars and prevents raw spice flavor from dominating.

Can I pressure-cook it?
You’ll lose depth. Stick to stovetop simmering for best results.

Share Your Mole Magic

Tag us at @homemade_always when you drizzle this sauce — we love cheering you on! Next, try our Red Chicken Pozole or Mango Passion Fruit Agua Fresca.