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Oaxacan Yellow Mole Tamales

Name: Oaxacan Yellow Mole Tamales
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 150 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 Tomatoes; 2 leaves Hierba santa; 500 ml Chicken stock; 6 piezas grandes Banana leaves; 3 cloves Garlic; 0.5 White onion; 0.5 tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Salt; 600 g Tamale corn dough; 400 g Cooked shredded chicken breast; 3 Tomatillos; 4 Yellow chilhuacle or guajillo chillies; 100 g Lard

150 min (60 prep + 90 cook) Medium 6 servings Oaxaca

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 29 Mar 2026 · Updated: 12 May 2026

Banana leaf tamales filled with chicken in yellow mole — a pride of Oaxacan cuisine.

About this recipe

Oaxacan yellow mole tamales are one of the jewels of Oaxacan gastronomy: soft corn dough wrapped in banana leaf and filled with chicken bathed in yellow mole, the most representative sauce of the Seven Moles of Oaxaca. The amarillo is a vibrantly coloured mole made with yellow chilhuacle or costeño chillies, tomatoes, tomatillos and hierba santa, which gives it a floral aroma and a deep, uniquely spiced flavour found nowhere else in Mexico.

History & Origin

Yellow mole is one of the seven traditional moles of Oaxaca, world-renowned as the land of seven moles. Unlike the denser, darker mole negro, amarillo is characterised by its intense golden colour from yellow chilhuacle or costeño chillies, and by the use of hierba santa, a native Mexican aromatic plant with aniseed and floral notes that grows only in tropical climates. Oaxacan tamales differ from those of central Mexico by being wrapped in banana leaf rather than corn husks, giving them a completely different flavour and texture: the dough becomes more moist, with a subtle vegetal aroma, and the filling stays juicy during steaming. In Oaxaca's markets, especially the famous Mercado 20 de Noviembre in Oaxaca City, yellow mole tamales are one of the most popular breakfast dishes, served with hot Oaxacan chocolate. This recipe represents centuries of pre-Hispanic culinary tradition fused with techniques and flavours that evolved from the colonial era to the present day.

Estimated cost

£12.50

Total cost

£2.08

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

420

Calories

22g

Protein

52g

Carbohydrates

14g

Fat

Fibre

480mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Prepare the yellow mole: devein and soak the yellow chilhuacle or guajillo chillies in hot water for 20 minutes. Toast the tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and onion on a griddle until well charred.
2
Blend the soaked chillies with the toasted tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, onion, cumin and hierba santa. Fry the sauce in a pot with hot oil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 10 minutes until it changes colour.
3
Add the chicken stock to the mole, add the cooked shredded chicken and season with salt. Cook over medium heat for a further 15 minutes. Dissolve a small amount of corn dough in cold stock and add it to the mole to thicken it slightly.
4
Prepare the tamale dough: mix the tamale corn dough with lard, warm chicken stock and salt until you have a soft dough that doesn't stick. Beat for 10 minutes or until a small piece floats in water.
5
Pass the banana leaves over a direct flame for 10 seconds on each side to soften them. Place a portion of dough in the centre, add the chicken and yellow mole filling, fold and wrap the leaf tightly.
6
Stand the tamales vertically in the steamer with water in the base. Cover with the remaining banana leaves and lid. Steam for 90 minutes, checking the water every 30 minutes. The tamale is ready when the dough peels away from the leaf easily.