Layers of complex and bold flavors simmer together to make this delicious Chicken Mole with Homemade Mole Sauce. Served over rice, wrapped in warm tortillas, or piled on a bed of fresh greens, the Homemade Chicken Mole dinner options are endless.
Mole Sauce
Comforting, complex, and extremely versatile, Mole (pronounced moh-lay) is one of my very favorite Mexican cuisine classics. A labor of love to prepare, making your own homemade mole sauce is a million times worth the effort.
This recipe, while not 100 percent traditional, isn’t exactly fast and easy either. While one may expect to spend at least a day, if not days, to make the most traditional and authentic mole, you can expect to spend approximately 2 hours to get this awesome chicken mole recipe ready and on the table for you and your family to enjoy.
Aside from chicken, leftover mole sauce tastes fantastic on tostadas, enchiladas, tacos, and burritos.
What is Mole Sauce
Mole is a Mexican chile sauce. While the exact origin of mole sauce unknown, some argue that mole has origins dating back to pre-hispanic Mexico to the time of the Aztecs. Others, on the other hand, argue that mole has its origins in Puebla or Oxana, Mexico.
Regardless of its origin, over the years mole has been highly influenced by family tradition and local preference. Found in countless versions, mole sauce ranges in color, ingredient type and amount length (some have well over 30 ingredients!), and consistency.
In general, mole sauce contains fruit, chili peppers, nuts, several different spices, and chocolate. And though it is thought that mole was originally made without chocolate, the addition of a rich, dark, Mexican chocolate is the new normal.
What does mole sauce taste like?
A question I hear often is- what does mole taste like? Is it spicy? sweet? sour?
The taste depends on what mole sauce your eating. Mole Verde (made with ingredients such as pepitas, parsley, green chilis, and jalapenos) will be much different from mole negro (which contains well over 30 ingredients including chicken, beef, and pork head, and chocolate).
This particular mole sauce is made with chicken as the base and is loaded with different kinds of chilies, nuts, seeds, spices, dried fruit, and chocolate. The taste is best described as somewhat spicy, and bittersweet with earthy undertones.
Mole sauce ingredients
So, the ingredients- there’s a lot of them. I know, you guys. And I know that the list may look totally intimidating. But DON’T RUN! If you love Chicken Molé, you’ll be so super happy you made your own. And this recipe makes extra, so you can easily make several different dishes out of it.
If you’re wondering where to purchase all these ingredients, well, that will depend. For me, I had to order several of the dried chilies online, but if you have access to a Mexican market, you should be able to find everything you need there.
It has been explained that the ingredients required to make mole can be grouped into 5 distinct classes – chilies, sour, sweet (fruits and sugar), spices, and thickeners (nuts, seeds, tortillas).
So here’s the list. Ready or not…
- Olive oil
- Chicken
- Chicken Broth
- Orange Juice
- Garlic
- Onions
- Pumpkin Seeds and Almonds
- Cumin seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Whole anise seeds
- Cloves
- Dried pasilla chiles
- Dried negro chiles
- Dried ancho chiles
- Dried chipotle chiles
- Cinnamon stick
- Bay leaves
- Raisins
- Dried marjoram
- Dried thyme
- Dried oregano
- Tomato paste
- Dark Mexican chocolate (or just dark chocolate)
Twenty-three ingredients (give or take sides and garnishes). Not nearly as intense as many of the other mole recipes out there.
How to make mole sauce
There are two main steps in preparing this particular mole sauce recipe.
FIRST COOK THE CHICKEN
- 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 the chicken to a large bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, sauté the remaining chicken breasts, adding additional olive oil to the pot, as needed.
- Return the chicken with juices back to the pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth and orange juice to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Approximately 25 minutes.
- Carefully remove chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.
- Reserve broth for later use.
THEN MAKE THE SAUCE
- Heat the olive oil n a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown and just starting to caramelize (approximately 12 minutes).
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, whole star anise, 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.
- Pour the reserved chicken and orange broth into the saucepan with the onion and chiles (reserve the pot that was holding the chicken broth as you will need it 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 process until smooth. Avoid overfilling. Transfer mixture to the reserved pot. Repeat until all sauce is processed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
PUT IT TOGETHER
- Shred chicken and combine with approximately half of the sauce mixture. Add more sauce, as desired and reserve remaining sauce for later use.
What to serve with Chicken Mole
Whether you choose to shred your chicken and mix it with mole sauce or bake chicken and serve mole on the side, there is no wrong way to enjoy this amazingly complex Mexican classic.
Serve with a side of cilantro lime rice, warm tortillas, and avocado for a simple and delicious anytime dinner which easily doubles as a week of meal prep.
Add a side of homemade refried beans or Drunken Beans with Poblanos and, of course, let’s not forget a glass or two of this spicy orange margarita or sparkling pineapple margarita.
Of course, mole sauce is delicious served with something as simple as a side of fried eggs or roasted vegetables.
Reasons to love chicken mole
- You get a whole lot more bang for your buck than you would if you went to a Mexican restaurant. The last time I ordered Chicken Molé at a restaurant it cost a whopping $16! That’s a lot of money, you guys! And just one serving.
- Once you get past the long list of ingredients, the process is actually quite simple. Lengthy, but simple.
- There’s chocolate.
Yes. CHOCOLATE.
Love Mole? Check out,
- Spicy Mexican Stewed Shrimp (Shrimp Camarones)
- Slow Cooker Harissa Lamb Tacos
- How to Make Refried Black Beans
- Drunken Beans with Poblanos
- Chopped Shrimp Salad Recipe with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken Tacos (+ Video)
- Mango Guacamole
If you try making this Chicken Mole with Homemade Mole Sauce, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
For more chicken recipes check out,
- Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
- Lemon Chicken Piccata Recipe
- Chicken, Sausage and Seafood Gumbo Recipe
- How to Cook Chicken Breasts
- Bruschetta Chicken Recipe
- Baked Harissa Chicken Recipe
DON’T FORGET TO PIN AND SHARE THIS CHICKEN MOLE WITH HOMEMADE MOLE SAUCE AND ADD IT TO YOUR NEXT WEEKLY MEAL PLAN!
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Chicken Mole with Homemade Mole Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 pounds chicken breast
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups orange juice
FOR THE SAUCE
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions - chopped
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds - or pepitas
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 8 cloves fresh garlic - sliced
- 4 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp whole anise seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 ounces dried pasilla chiles - stem removed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
- 1 ounce dried negro chiles - stem removed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
- 1 ounce dried ancho chiles - stem removed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
- 1 ounce dried chipotle chiles - stem removed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3.1 ounces dark Mexican chocolate (or just dark chocolate) - chopped
- Fresh chopped cilantro - for serving
Instructions
FIRST COOK THE CHICKEN
- 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 remaining chicken breasts, adding additional olive oil to the pot, as needed.
- Return the chicken with juices back to the pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth and orange juice to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Approximately 25 minutes.
- Carefully remove chicken to a clean bowl and set aside. Reserve broth for later use.
FOR THE SAUCE
- Heat olive oil in a separate large and heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown and just starting to caramelize, approximately 12 minutes. Stir frequently. Reduce heat to medium. Add the pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, whole star anise, 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 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 30-34 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 process until smooth. Avoid overfilling. Transfer mixture to the reserved pot. Repeat until all sauce is processed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
PUT IT TOGETHER
- Shred chicken and combine with approximately half of the sauce mixture. Add more sauce, as desired. Reserve remaining sauce for later use.
- Best served warm with rice or warm tortillas and sprinkled with fresh cilantro and pumpkin seeds.
Jessica's Notes
- This recipe makes a lot of extra sauce. I recommend freezing the remaining sauce in small jars for later use. It tastes fantastic in enchiladas, burritos, rice casseroles, etc.
Nutrition
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Jessica, my family can’t do a lot of heat. We need things on the super mild level. What would you reduce the chiles by so it’s not spicy without losing the flavor?
Hi Danielle! Your safest bet is scaling back the total amount of dried chipotle chilis first and Padilla chilis, second, which can really range in heat. Substitute with additional ancho or negro chilis as they are quite mild. Whatever you do, do not substitute with Arbol chilis 🙂 Hope this helps!
My dad requested I make chicken mole for father’s day and I couldn’t find the recipe I used last time I made it, so I went with this one. It turned out absolutely delicious. It was a bit too spicy for some people in my family, but I think just using fewer chipotles would solve that problem. I also used a mixture of chicken thighs and breasts, and the thighs turned out more flavorful. I saved this recipe and will definitely be making it again.
Thanks for the feedback Carrie, I am glad you found it to be delicious 🙂
Just wow! I have wanted to make Molé for the longest time but was overwhelmed at the thought of it! I had almost everything needed with the exception of pumpkin seeds (I did 1/2 pumpkin and 1/2 pepitas); I did a combo of pasilla, negro, guajillo and a small amount of arbol & substituted ground coriander and fennel seeds for the coriander seeds because that is what I had. My immersion blender did an awesome job blending everything, including the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and star anise! There was a bit too much heat so I added a little local honey and brown sugar…..PERFECT! Your directions were clear and easy to follow…..will enjoy with your drunken pinto beans and yellow rice! Thank you so much!
Wow! Making again tonight for guests. I used whole chicken thighs and a slow cooker. Browned the chicken and put it in cooker, saving the broth. Made the sauce, blended it then added to the cooker. Cooked on low for 3 hours. Served with cilantro lime rice, refried beans and avocado as suggested. Being in Australia, my chilli replacement was buying 1 of each chilli available and using some of each (probably had Thai chilli in the mix as well 😃). It worked wonderfully and cooking again tonight (hopefully this time with left overs as 2 of us ate a meal for 4 it was so good!)
Hey Jessica
I made this with a couple of variations, I actually poached a whole chicken and also I only had Anchos Mulatos and Chipotles as dry chillis are a little more specialized here in Australia, I also didn’t have the horsepower in my blender to blitzt the cinnamon and bay leaves but having said all that the dish was great and I’ll definitely be re making and checking out your other stuff, keep up the good work! !
Cheers Phil
Thanks for the kind feedback Phil! Good call on the cinnamon, as you definitely need the horsepower!
I want to make this, but should you take out star anise and cinnamon stick before putting in blender? Thanks
Hi Mel,
Great question! I have a high-speed Vitamix blender that made both the star anise and cinnamon stick dissolve into the sauce. If you are worried that your blender won’t be able to handle it, I would remove them both before blending 🙂