Chicken Mole with Four Chiles

An authentic Mexican dish - chicken slow cooked in a delectable sauce of chiles with a rich, never overpowering, chocolate background. Wonderful served with warm corn tortillas, rice and beans. Plan to have quite a mess to clean up afterward!

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 2 hr 40 mins
• Calories: 536 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup peanuts
• ½ cup almonds
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 whole chicken
• 1 (14 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• ⅛ cup sesame seeds
• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 4 dried mulato chiles
• 4 dried guajillo chiles
• 4 dried pasilla chilies
• 2 teaspoons lard, or more as needed
• 1 (7 inch) flour tortilla
• 2 (5 inch) corn tortillas
• 1 plantain, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablet of Mexican chocolate, such as Abuelita or Ibarra

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Remove the stems, veins and seeds from the chiles (you might want to wear gloves when you do this). Heat the lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the chiles, and cook and stir until the chiles are fragrant, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn them. Remove the chiles and place them in a large bowl.

Step 2

Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove and add to the bowl with the chiles.

Step 3

Break the flour and corn tortillas into pieces, and add them to the skillet. Toast on both sides, turning often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove; add to the bowl.

Step 4

If needed, melt a small amount of additional lard in the skillet. Add the plantain pieces to the skillet, and cook and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove plantain; add to the bowl.

Step 5

Stir the almonds and peanuts into the skillet, and cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the sesame seeds and continue cooking until sesame seeds are lightly browned, 15-30 seconds. Remove; add to the bowl.

Step 6

Warm the tomatoes over medium heat in the skillet until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Break the chocolate into chunks and stir into the tomatoes until melted. Pour the chocolate and tomato mixture into the bowl with the chile mixture; stir to combine.

Step 7

Working in small batches, puree the mixture in a blender until smooth, adding a small amount of water if needed to make a smooth sauce.

Step 8

Place the chicken into a large Dutch oven; pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and simmer over medium low heat until the chicken falls off the bone, 2-3 hours.