MolesMediumFree

Chicken in Mole Sauce

Name: Chicken in Mole Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 White onion; 2 tbsp Pork lard; 1 tbsp Azucar; 500 ml Chicken stock; 1 kg Chicken en piezas (muslos y piernas); 250 g Pasta de mole poblano; 30 g Chocolate negro (70% cacao); 20 g Semillas de sesamo

55 min (15 prep + 40 cook) Medium 6 servings Puebla

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 19 Mar 2026 · Updated: 25 Mar 2026

Chicken bathed in mole sauce made with mole paste, chillies, chocolate and spices.

About this recipe

Chicken in mole sauce is the ultimate expression of Mexican cuisine, a ceremonial dish combining tender chicken bathed in a complex, dark sauce made from chillies, chocolate, spices and seeds. Using prepared mole paste, this version simplifies the preparation without sacrificing the deep, multidimensional flavour that has made mole a gastronomic heritage.

History & Origin

Mole poblano is considered Mexico's national dish and its history is steeped in legend. The best-known tale claims that Sister Andrea de la Asuncion, a nun at the Santa Rosa convent in Puebla, created mole in the 17th century to entertain the viceroy. However, historians agree that mole has far deeper pre-Hispanic roots. The Aztecs prepared a stew called mulli (Nahuatl for sauce or mixture) combining chillies, pumpkin seeds and tomatoes. The Spanish conquest introduced ingredients such as chocolate, almonds, cumin and cinnamon, which merged with native ingredients to create the version we know today. Puebla became the birthplace of mole due to its position as a crossroads between the port of Veracruz and Mexico City, where ingredients from around the world converged. Traditional mole poblano contains over 30 ingredients and its preparation can take several days. Today, Mexican families commonly use prepared mole paste, a tradition accepted even by the most purist cooks. Chicken in mole is indispensable at weddings, christenings, quinceaneras and Day of the Dead, symbolising celebration and community.

Estimated cost

£11.80

Total cost

£1.97

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

450

Calories

32g

Protein

30g

Carbohydrates

22g

Fat

Fibre

580mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Cook the piezas of pollo (muslos and piernas) in water with salt, onion, garlic and hierbas of olor for 30 minutes. Set aside the stock.
💡 Los muslos and piernas are mas jugosos that the pechuga for this platillo.
2
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of pork lard or oil over medium heat.
💡 La pork lard aporta a flavour mas autentico that the oil.
3
Anade the pasta of mole and disuelvela little by little with the chicken stock, restirring constantly for evitar grumos. Use aproximadamente 500 ml of stock.
💡 Anade the stock little by little and remueve without parar for a texture perfecta.
4
Anade a tablespoon of azucar, a pinch of salt and a tableta of Mexican chocolate (or chocolate black to the 70%). Cook over low heat for 15 minutes stirring frecuentemente.
💡 El chocolate should ser amargo, not of milk. Ajusta the azucar to taste.
5
Fold in thes piezas of pollo cooked a the sauce of mole and cook 10 minutes mas over low heat for that absorban the flavours.
💡 If the sauce queda very thick, anade mas stock. Debe tener consistency of natilla.
6
Serve the pollo banado generously with mole, espolvoreado with seeds of sesamo tostadas. Acompana with rice red and warm tortillas.
💡 Toast the seeds of sesamo in sarten dry for mayor aroma.