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Puebla Almond Chicken (Pollo Almendrado)

Name: Puebla Almond Chicken (Pollo Almendrado)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 0.25 raja Mexican Cinnamon; 0.5 White Onion; 1.2 kg Chicken; 200 g Almonds; 2 cloves Garlic; 500 ml Chicken; 0.25 tsp Black Pepper; 2 Cloves; 4 White Onion

65 min (20 prep + 45 cook) Medium 6 servings Puebla

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 29 Mar 2026

Puebla chicken in a rich almond sauce with tomato and baroque spices.

About this recipe

Chicken in a sauce of toasted almonds, tomato, spices and poblano chilli, Puebla-style. An opulent, creamy sauce representing Puebla's baroque cuisine at its finest.

History & Origin

Almond chicken is one of the dishes that best expresses the baroque richness of Puebla cuisine - that culinary style born from the fusion of Nahuatl-Tlaxcalan indigenous traditions, the Spanish and Arab techniques brought by the conquistadors, and the boundless creativity of the nuns in the convents of the City of Angels. Almonds arrived in Mexico with the Spanish, who imported them from the Iberian Peninsula. But it was in Puebla where these nuts found their most prominent place in Mexican cuisine. The nuns of the Convent of Santa Catalina and other Puebla convents began creating almond sauces that combined the richness of the nut with local tomatoes, chillies and generous European spices: cloves, cinnamon, black pepper. The result was a sauce of extraordinary complexity. Almond chicken differs from mole in containing no chocolate or the multiple chillies that characterise the king of Mexican sauces. It is gentler, more delicate, with almond flavour as the absolute protagonist. Proper preparation requires toasting the almonds until they release their natural oils, which intensifies their flavour and gives the sauce its characteristic golden colour. This dish remains a classic of Puebla home cooking for special occasions, also found in traditional fondas and restaurants in the city.

Estimated cost

£10.50

Total cost

£1.75

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

440

Calories

36g

Protein

18g

Carbohydrates

26g

Fat

Fibre

490mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Sazona 6 piezas de pollo con sal, pimienta y ajo. Dóralas en aceite caliente en una cazuela grande, 5 minutos por lado. Reserva.
💡 No muevas el pollo hasta que dore para obtener buena costra.
2
Tuesta 200g de almendras blanqueadas en la misma cazuela a fuego medio, 5 minutos moviendo constantemente hasta dorar. Reserva.
💡 Las almendras quemadas amargan la salsa; vigila bien.
3
Asa 4 jitomates y 1/4 cebolla en comal. Licúa con las almendras tostadas, 2 dientes de ajo, 2 clavos, 1/4 raja de canela, 1/4 cucharadita de pimienta negra y 100ml del caldo de pollo.
💡 Licúa bien hasta que quede una salsa muy suave.
4
Sofríe la salsa licuada en la misma cazuela con 1 cucharada de aceite, 5-7 minutos a fuego medio-alto hasta que cambie de color y espese.
5
Agrega el pollo dorado a la salsa. Añade 400ml de caldo de pollo. Ajusta sal. Tapa y cocina 25-30 minutos a fuego medio-bajo hasta que el pollo esté completamente cocido y la salsa haya espesado.
💡 Si la salsa queda muy espesa, añade caldo; si muy líquida, descubre y cocina más.
6
Sirve el pollo bañado en salsa almendrada con arroz blanco y tortillas.
💡 Espolvorea almendras fileteadas tostadas por encima para decorar.