Mole Poblano with Roast Chicken Thighs

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, whole cloves and cinnamon stick and toast, shaking the pan, until fragrant — about 2 minutes.

2. 2

   Remove stems and seeds from all the dried chillies (wear gloves if you have them). Tear the chillies into pieces, then quickly toast the pieces in the dry pan for about 1 minute, turning so they darken slightly but do not burn.

3. 3

   Place the toasted chillies in a heatproof bowl, pour over 200 ml just-boiled water to cover and leave to soften for 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Meanwhile, halve the plum tomatoes, quarter the brown onion and cut the garlic cloves in half (leave skins on). In a frying pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, roast the tomatoes cut-side down, the onion and the garlic until charred and softened, about 8–10 minutes.

5. 5

   Wipe the pan and add the remaining 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Toast the torn stale bread and torn corn tortillas until golden, then add the almonds, shelled pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and raisins and toast together until fragrant — about 4 minutes.

6. 6

   Drain the chillies, reserving the soaking liquid. Put the toasted spices from step 1, drained chillies, roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic, toasted bread, tortillas, nuts, seeds, raisins, 400 ml chicken stock, red wine vinegar and caster sugar into a blender. Blend to a very smooth purée, adding a little of the reserved soaking liquid if needed to help the blender.

7. 7

   Push the blended purée through a fine sieve into a large saucepan, using the back of a ladle to force through as much as possible. Add the remaining 200 ml chicken stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring regularly, for 20 minutes to allow flavours to meld and the sauce to thicken.

8. 8

   While the sauce simmers, season the chicken thighs with salt. Brown in a clean frying pan, skin-side down first, in a little oil for 6–8 minutes until the skin is crisp. Transfer to a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 20–25 minutes until cooked through.

9. 9

   Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the dark chocolate and stir until melted and fully incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and, if needed, a little extra sugar or vinegar. Return to a very low heat and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

10. 10

    Let the mole rest off the heat for 30 minutes to mellow and deepen in flavour. Reheat gently if necessary before serving.

11. 11

    To serve, spoon a generous pool of mole onto warmed plates, place two roast chicken thighs on top and sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and torn fresh coriander.

Tips

• Wear gloves when handling chillies and remove seeds to control heat — leaving seeds will make the mole much hotter.
• Use a good blender and sieve the sauce for the smooth traditional texture; push the purée through with the back of a spoon rather than pressing hard with your fingers.
• Toast nuts and seeds carefully on a moderate heat — they go from browned to burnt quickly and burnt flavours ruin the mole.
• Make ahead: mole improves after resting. Cook the sauce a day ahead, refrigerate, then gently reheat and finish with chocolate before serving.
• Leftover mole keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezes for 2 months — thaw and reheat slowly, stirring to recombine.

Substitutions

• almonds → pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, same quantity (40 g)

  Stays close

• stale white bread → extra tortilla (40 g total) or 30 g cornmeal toasted, same function as thickener

  Noticeably different

• dark chocolate 70% → unsweetened dark chocolate or 85% chocolate, same weight (40 g); may need a touch more sugar

  Stays close

• chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on → boneless thighs or chicken breast (adjust cooking time), same weight

  Noticeably different

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

835

Calories

45 g

Protein

40 g

Carbs

55 g

Fat

6 g

Fibre

15 g

Sugar

900 mg

Sodium

FAQ