Pollo en Mole Poblano (Chicken in Puebla-Style Mole)
By Andrew JanjigianPublished on July 26, 2016
Time
2½ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Our preference is to cook the chicken with the skin on, but it can be removed before cooking, if desired. If refrigerating or freezing the paste for later use, discard the extra chile soaking liquid and replace it with 1 1/2 cups of water in step 5. Serve with white rice and/or corn tortillas. Vary the amount of cayenne (or omit it altogether) depending on how spicy you like your food.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place anchos on rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and pliable, about 5 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove seeds, stems, and ribs from anchos and discard; tear flesh into 1/2-inch pieces and return pieces to bowl.
- Add 2 cups broth and raisins to bowl with anchos, cover, and microwave until steaming, about 2 minutes. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mixture in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, reserving liquid.
- Process onion, 2 tablespoons oil, tomato paste, garlic, chipotle, and ancho-raisin mixture in food processor until smooth, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add almonds; bread; 2 tablespoons sesame seeds; salt; cayenne, if using; oregano; thyme; cinnamon; cumin; coriander; pepper; and 1/4 cup reserved ancho soaking liquid and continue to process until smooth paste forms, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed and adding additional soaking liquid if necessary.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mole paste and cook, stirring frequently, until steaming, about 3 minutes. Stir in chocolate until incorporated. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring twice. (Paste will darken during cooking.) (Paste can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Place pot over medium-high heat and whisk remaining reserved soaking liquid and remaining 1 1/2 cups broth into mole paste until smooth. Place chicken in even layer in pot, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken pieces to serving dish as they come up to temperature. Pour sauce over chicken, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, and serve.
Time
2½ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
By stripping down mole poblano to only the most essential elements and steps, we turned this complex Mexican classic into a more manageable yet still highly flavorful dish. A combination of ancho and chipotle chiles makes for an earthy, smoky, sweet, and subtly spicy base; sesame seeds and almonds add richness and body (a slice of sandwich bread further binds the paste); and a handful of herbs and dried spices, along with a couple of ounces of unsweetened chocolate, lend warmth and just enough bitterness. To simplify the preparation of the paste, we didn’t fry or toast the paste ingredients (except for the ancho chiles) before grinding, as most recipes call for. Instead, we “oven-fried” the paste by adding more oil to the pot and letting it cook gently for 30 minutes in the oven. Rather than pouring the finished sauce over a poached whole bird, we gently stewed chicken parts directly in the sauce so they picked up even more flavor and the sauce thoroughly drenched the meat.
Before You Begin
Our preference is to cook the chicken with the skin on, but it can be removed before cooking, if desired. If refrigerating or freezing the paste for later use, discard the extra chile soaking liquid and replace it with 1 1/2 cups of water in step 5. Serve with white rice and/or corn tortillas. Vary the amount of cayenne (or omit it altogether) depending on how spicy you like your food.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place anchos on rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and pliable, about 5 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove seeds, stems, and ribs from anchos and discard; tear flesh into 1/2-inch pieces and return pieces to bowl.
- Add 2 cups broth and raisins to bowl with anchos, cover, and microwave until steaming, about 2 minutes. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mixture in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, reserving liquid.
- Process onion, 2 tablespoons oil, tomato paste, garlic, chipotle, and ancho-raisin mixture in food processor until smooth, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add almonds; bread; 2 tablespoons sesame seeds; salt; cayenne, if using; oregano; thyme; cinnamon; cumin; coriander; pepper; and 1/4 cup reserved ancho soaking liquid and continue to process until smooth paste forms, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed and adding additional soaking liquid if necessary.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mole paste and cook, stirring frequently, until steaming, about 3 minutes. Stir in chocolate until incorporated. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring twice. (Paste will darken during cooking.) (Paste can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Place pot over medium-high heat and whisk remaining reserved soaking liquid and remaining 1 1/2 cups broth into mole paste until smooth. Place chicken in even layer in pot, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken pieces to serving dish as they come up to temperature. Pour sauce over chicken, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, and serve.
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