Mole Poblano — Rich, complex sauce with chiles, chocolate, and spices over turkey or chicken

Mexico's most celebrated sauce, mole poblano layers dried chiles, chocolate, nuts, seeds, and spices into a deep, velvety sauce that takes hours to build. Originating in Puebla, it is the centerpiece of weddings, holidays, and special occasions. The complexity comes not from heat but from the interplay of dozens of toasted ingredients.

Serves: 8-10 | Prep: 45 min | Cook: 2 hr

Ingredients

• 5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 dried mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 dried chipotle chile (optional, for smokiness)
• 3 cups chicken or turkey broth, warm
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup raw peanuts
• 1/4 cup raw almonds
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, roasted
• 3 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground anise
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 oz Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra), chopped
• 2 tbsp lard or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
• Cooked turkey or chicken pieces for serving

Instructions

1. Toast and soak the chiles: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast ancho, mulato, pasilla, and chipotle chiles about 30 seconds per side until pliable and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup soaking liquid.
2. Toast the nuts and seeds: In the same skillet, toast 1/4 cup sesame seeds until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove, then toast peanuts and almonds until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Toast the torn tortilla pieces until crisp.
3. Roast aromatics: Dry-roast garlic cloves and onion in the skillet until charred on the edges, 5-6 minutes.
4. Blend in batches: Working in two or three batches, blend the soaked chiles, toasted nuts, seeds, tortilla, roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, raisins, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, anise, pepper, and about 1 cup broth until very smooth.
5. Fry and simmer the mole: Heat 2 tbsp lard in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pour in the blended sauce (it will splatter). Stir constantly for 5 minutes as it darkens and thickens. Add remaining broth, 2 oz chopped chocolate, salt, and sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
6. Serve: Spoon mole generously over cooked turkey or chicken. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Tips

• Mole improves dramatically after resting overnight; make it a day ahead
• Freeze extra mole in portions for up to 3 months
• If the sauce is too thick, thin with broth; if too thin, simmer longer uncovered
• Authentic mole uses lard for frying, but vegetable oil works as a substitute