Textual Chef Textual Chef

Mole Poblano

A deeply complex Mexican chile sauce with layers of dried chiles, toasted spices, chocolate, and nuts - the iconic centerpiece of Pueblan cooking. Typically served over turkey or chicken.

135 minHardServes 12180 cal/serving

MexicanSauceStovetopVegetarianLow CarbDairy-FreeEgg-FreeShellfish-FreeAlcohol-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 6 dried mulato chiles, stemmed, seeded
  • 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded
  • 4 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded
  • 2 dried chipotle chile (or canned in adobo), stemmed, seeded
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 4 tbsp lard or vegetable oil
  • 1 white onion, roughly chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 4 roma tomatoes, halved
  • 4 tomatillos, husked, halved
  • 1/4 cup raw almonds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 2 stale corn tortilla, torn into pieces
  • 2 oz Mexican chocolate (or dark chocolate), roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  1. 1

    Toast 6 stemmed, seeded dried mulato chiles, 4 stemmed, seeded dried ancho chiles, 4 stemmed, seeded dried pasilla chiles, and 2 stemmed, seeded dried chipotle chile (or canned in adobo) in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly darkened. Do not burn. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.

  2. 2

    In the same dry skillet, char 4 halved roma tomatoes and 4 husked, halved tomatillos cut-side down until blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Add 6 unpeeled garlic cloves to the skillet and char until soft, about 5 minutes; peel and set aside.

  3. 3

    In a separate pan, heat half the 4 tbsp lard or vegetable oil over medium heat. Fry 1 roughly chopped white onion until golden, about 8 minutes. Add 1/4 cup toasted raw almonds, 1/4 cup toasted raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas), and 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and fry 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup raisins and 2 torn into pieces stale corn tortilla and fry 2 minutes more. Transfer to a blender.

  4. 4

    Add the soaked chiles, charred vegetables, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 2 tsp granulated sugar, and 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth) to the blender. Blend until completely smooth, adding more broth as needed. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve.

  5. 5

    Heat the remaining lard or vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Carefully pour in the blended sauce (it will spatter). Fry the paste, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes until it darkens and thickens.

  6. 6

    Add the remaining low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and 2 oz roughly chopped Mexican chocolate (or dark chocolate). Stir until chocolate melts. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce coats a spoon. Season with 2 tsp kosher salt.

  7. 7

    Taste and adjust salt and sugar. Serve over turkey or chicken, or use as a braising sauce.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Mexican Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

How do I know when Mole Poblano is done?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 6: cook until chocolate melts. Step 6: cook until the sauce coats a spoon.

What equipment do I need for Mole Poblano?

Beyond a knife and a board, the method uses a blender (step 3) and a fine-mesh sieve (step 4).

What can I use instead of tomatillos in Mole Poblano?

The entry for Mole Poblano calls for 4 tomatillos, husked, halved. In its place: Canned tomatillos are a direct swap. Failing that, green tomatoes with a squeeze of lime are the closest.

How hot is Mole Poblano?

Moderately. The heat in Mole Poblano comes from 2 dried chipotle chile (or canned in adobo), stemmed, seeded. For a milder plate, start with half the chipotle and add more to taste at the end; nothing else in the method changes. For more, add it at the table rather than in the pot, so everyone sets their own level.

Does Mole Poblano contain tree nuts?

Yes: 1/4 cup raw almonds, toasted. The full allergen list for this entry is tree nuts and sesame. Where the nuts are a garnish or a texture, toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds stand in. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

How many calories are in Mole Poblano?

One serving (the recipe makes 12) is about 180 calories, with 6 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate and 8 g fat, plus 2 g fiber and 560 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Mexican entries

All Mexican recipes · All Sauce recipes