Mexican
Mole Poblano
Puebla’s grand mole poblano, layered and velvety, with roasted chiles, warm spices, subtle fruit, and a dark chocolate finish.
8 servings · 100 minutes prep · 210 minutes cook
Ingredients
Turkey or Chicken
- 5 lb bone-in turkey thighs or chicken legs
- 12 cups water
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
Mole
- 5 dried mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 dried chipotle meco, stemmed
- 1/3 cup lard or avocado oil, divided
- 1 stale corn tortilla, torn
- 1 small bolillo, torn
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for serving
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 ripe plantain, sliced
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 Roma tomatoes, roasted
- 3 tomatillos, roasted
- 2 oz Mexican chocolate, chopped
- 1-inch cinnamon stick, toasted
- 4 cloves
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp anise seed
- 1/2 tsp coriander seed
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp piloncillo or dark brown sugar
Directions
Cook the Poultry and Reserve the Broth
- Simmer the turkey or chicken, water, white onion, garlic, bay leaves, and kosher salt until the thickest poultry pieces register at least {{temperature:175°F}} and are tender, 75-90 minutes. Strain and reserve 8 cups broth and the meat.
Toast and Fry the Mole Ingredients
- Toast the mulato chiles, ancho chiles, pasilla chiles, and chipotle meco briefly until fragrant but not scorched, 10-15 seconds per side. Soak in hot reserved broth for 20 minutes.
- Heat 1/4 cup of the lard or avocado oil in a skillet. Fry the torn tortilla and bolillo separately until crisp and evenly golden, 1-2 minutes each; transfer each to a bowl before frying the next ingredient.
- Fry the almonds and peanuts separately until golden and nutty, 2-3 minutes each. Fry the sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds separately just until fragrant and beginning to pop, 30-60 seconds each. Fry the raisins until swollen and glossy, 20-30 seconds; remove each batch promptly so it does not scorch.
- Fry the ripe plantain until deeply golden and caramelized at the edges, 2-3 minutes per side. Fry the chopped white onion until soft and golden, 4-5 minutes, then the garlic until pale gold, 30-60 seconds. Add small amounts of the measured fat only as needed, preserving the remainder for frying the puree.
Blend and Fry the Mole
- Blend the soaked chiles with the fried ingredients, roasted Roma tomatoes, roasted tomatillos, Mexican chocolate, cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorns, anise seed, coriander seed, kosher salt, piloncillo, and enough broth to make a very smooth puree.
- Pass the puree through a medium sieve. Heat the remaining lard or avocado oil in a Dutch oven and fry the puree, stirring constantly, until dark, thick, and glossy, 35-45 minutes.
Thin, Simmer, and Serve
- Add 5 cups reserved broth gradually, whisking after each addition. Simmer uncovered, stirring often, until the mole tastes integrated and coats a spoon heavily, 75-90 minutes.
- Add the cooked turkey or chicken and simmer gently for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds.
