Chicken Mole

Active time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Serves: 8

• A mix of dried chillies - guajillo, ancho, pasilla negro, mulato and chiles de árbol - gives the sauce layered fruity notes, heat and a delicate smokiness.
• Toasted sesame seeds and pepitas bring a nutty richness that complements the savoury, gently sweet tomato-and-onion base.
• A restrained quantity of Mexican chocolate lends mild sweetness and complexity, allowing the chillies and aromatics to stand out rather than dominate the sauce.

At La Guerrera's Kitchen in Oakland, this chicken mole takes its inspiration from a recipe belonging to chef Ofelia Barajas' grandmother, Jovita Vargas. Vargas also served it at her restaurant in Guerrero, Mexico. The result is a rich, warming and balanced dish, in which several varieties of chillies create profound smoky-sweet flavour.

Does mole always contain chocolate?

Chocolate is not included in every mole, but it is used in this version. Barajas adds only 85 g, which provides complexity without making the chocolate an obvious flavour in the finished dish.

What should chicken mole be served with?

Serve chicken mole with rice and warm tortillas, ready to scoop up every last bit of sauce.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

• When frying the ingredients individually, Barajas suggests smelling and tasting each one, including the chillies. This helps you connect with every ingredient and understand how the flavours of an excellent mole are built. The reward is a silky, complex sauce coating tender chicken.
• Look for dried chillies, bolillo and Mexican chocolate in Latin American grocers or online.

Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) makes 8 servings.

• 1.9 litres water
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
• 4 whole chicken legs, bone in and skin on (about 1.5 kg)
• 900 ml vegetable oil, divided
• 12 garlic cloves, divided
• 900 ml diced plum tomatoes
• 830 ml diced yellow onion
• 8 dried guajillo chillies (50 g), stems removed
• 6 dried chiles de árbol (4 g), stems removed
• 4 dried ancho chillies (70 g), stems removed
• 3 dried pasilla negro chillies (21 g), stems removed
• 2 dried mulato chillies (28 g), stems removed
• 120 ml sesame seeds, plus extra to garnish
• 120 ml pepitas
• 3 (15 cm) corn tortillas, plus extra to serve
• 1 (100 g) bolillo or demi-baguette, torn into pieces (about 1.3 litres)
• 1 (about 85 g) disc Mexican chocolate, such as Dandelion or Ibarra
• Cooked long-grain white rice, to serve

Directions

1. Put the water and 1/2 tablespoon of the salt into a large stockpot and bring to the boil over a high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, then add the chicken. Cook for about 30 minutes, until tender and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 68°C. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and set aside. Pour 950 ml of the cooking liquid into a large heatproof bowl; discard the rest.

2. Warm 60 ml vegetable oil in a 30 cm frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add 8 garlic cloves and stir constantly for about 1 minute, until aromatic. Stir in the tomatoes, onion and 1/2 tablespoon salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. Tip the mixture into a blender. Fit the lid, removing its central cap so steam can escape, and cover the opening with a kitchen towel. Blend for about 1 minute until smooth. Move the tomato mixture to a large bowl and reserve.

3. Clean the frying pan, then pour in 720 ml vegetable oil and heat over a medium-high heat. Working with a few varieties of chilli at once, place them in a spider strainer and lower them into the hot oil for 2 seconds per batch. Lift them out with the spider and put them in a large heatproof bowl. Continue with the remaining chillies and the last 4 garlic cloves.

4. Put the sesame seeds and pepitas in a medium metal sieve, then lower it into the hot oil over a medium-high heat. Stir the seeds in the sieve and shake it from time to time for about 2 minutes, until they are fragrant and golden brown. Add the seed mixture to the bowl containing the chillies.

5. Fry the tortillas one at a time in the hot oil over a medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Place the fried tortillas on a paper-towel-lined plate and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Break them into 5 cm pieces. (The strained, cooled oil can be kept and used again for frying.)

6. Add the chilli mixture, tortilla pieces and bolillo pieces to the reserved 950 ml chicken cooking liquid. Leave for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the bolillo is softened. Transfer everything to a blender and blend for about 1 minute, until smooth.

7. Heat the remaining 120 ml vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the tomato mixture and cook, stirring continuously, for about 1 minute until hot throughout. Add the blended chilli mixture and the chocolate disc, then bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is thoroughly combined. Add the cooked chicken and the remaining 1 tablespoon salt, stirring to cover the chicken in the mole. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is heated through. Serve with rice and tortillas, finished with extra sesame seeds.

Make ahead

Chicken mole may be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Originally appeared: March 2021