Saying that a mole recipe is one you should know by heart may sound a little foolhardy. Mole is, after all, one of the most laborious dishes in the world, especially when made from scratch in the traditional, pull-out-the-fiesta-stops version you find in the classic kitchens of Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz and so on.
It’s the thought of those days-long preparations that have led many Mexican cooks to start their fiestas cooking with prepared mole pastes, made from all of the not-quick-perishable mole ingredients that are toasted, blended and cooked slowly into a thick mass that’s stable and long-lasting at room temperature. While some work well as the base for a good mole, those are not usually the ones that make it north of the border. Most we can find in our cities have rough edges that require a lot of sugar to smooth out.
That said, this relatively simple, from-scratch mole may at first glance seem suspect. This recipe, however, starts with traditional mole ingredients but tips the proportions toward peanuts to temper the dried chiles (they typically need long, slow cooking on their own to beautifully integrate their flavor into the sauce). The recipe is based on one I culled from an old Mexico City cookbook, a volume dedicated to honest, simple cooking. It could legitimately be called a pipián rather than mole, because of the focus on the nuts. But you'll recognize that hauntingly delicious mole flavor and be happy you can make it in about an hour.
I always choose thighs when I know the dish may have to sit for a while or possibly be re-warmed; they stay moister than chicken breasts. Cooking either one with the bones still in and skin on will offer maximum flavor, but skin, baked in the sauce, will render a lot of fat and result in a less-than-appealing texture.
I know most folks who cook from a European perspective (and that's most of us) will immediately think of sugar as a crutch: "Sweetness will make the mole taste mainstream American." "Sweetness is used only to mask poor cooking techniques." "Sweetness is for sissies who can't take the heat and bitterness." None of that is true. Adding a small amount of sugar won't produce a mole that's perceptibly sweet, even when added to the savory version of this sauce. What it will produce is a mole in which the dried chiles fully play their flavorful role. No sugar equals dead chile flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- For the mole:
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, olive oil or fresh-rendered lard (divided use)
- 2 medium ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into flat pieces
- 1/2 small white onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2/3 of a 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup dry- or oil-roasted peanuts
- 2 slices firm white bread
- 2 canned chilpotle chiles en adobo
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice, preferably freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth (divided use)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Mexican chocolate (for a bit sweeter mole)
- OR
- 1/2 cup red wine, plus 2 bay leaves and 1 tablespoon vinegar (preferably cider), for a more savory mole
- For finishing the dish:
- Salt
- Sugar
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (each about 8 ounces) OR 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (each about 4 ounces)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the mole paste. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven (it's easiest to work through all the steps in a pan that holds 4 to 6 quarts), heat 2 tablespoons of oil or lard over medium heat. When it's hot, add the chiles, onions and garlic. Cook the mixture for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion and garlic have softened and browned and the chile is toasty-looking and aromatic. Then, scrape it all into a blender jar (setting the pan aside unwashed).
To the blender, add the tomatoes, peanuts, bread, chipotles, spices and 1 ½ cups of chicken broth. Blend until it is as smooth as possible. That takes a couple of minutes with most blenders; it's ready when a drop of the puree rubbed between your fingers doesn't feel gritty. Unless you’ve used a high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix, pass the mixture through a medium-mesh strainer to remove chile skins and anything else that didn't get thoroughly blended.
Cook the mole. Return the pan to the heat, this time medium-high, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of fat. When the fat is hot enough to make a drop of the puree sizzle fiercely, add the mixture all at once. When the puree hits the hot fat, it's important to stir constantly for 7 or 8 minutes until it has reduced by two-thirds of its original volume and darkened to a thick, rusty-orange paste (about the consistency of tomato paste). This is the critical step that fuses the disparate flavors into a harmonious sauce. When the mixture begins to splatter, I lay a cookie sheet or splatter screen over most of the pot and stir from the side; my implement of choice is always a blunt-end wooden spatula that won't conduct heat and will thoroughly scrape the bottom of the pan.
Finish the mole. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Decide whether you want the dish to tip toward the sweeter side, which focuses on the flavor of the chiles and chocolate (it'll taste more mole-like to many), or the savory side, which focuses on the nuts (it'll taste more pipián-like). Stir in the chocolate OR the wine, bay leaves and vinegar. Partially cover the pot, turn the heat to low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for as long as you have. A half hour is good, but an hour is better; making the mole a day ahead and refrigerating it produces the best flavor.
Taste and season with salt (usually 1 ½ teaspoons for the savory version, a generous 2 teaspoons for the sweeter one . After tasting the sauce, when you feel it has the right amount of salt, season with just enough sugar to bring out the chile flavor, usually about 1 teaspoon.
The consistency should resemble a smooth bean soup; if thicker, stir in a little more broth or water. (If I've made the mole the day before and refrigerated it, I re-warm it and adjust the consistency and seasonings if necessary.)
Cook the chicken. Heat the oven to 350 degrees, then arrange the chicken in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Ladle the hot mole over the chicken, slide it into the oven and bake until the chicken is just cooked through, about 35 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the chicken to warm dinner plates, then whisk the mole to ensure that all the chicken juices are thoroughly incorporated and ladle it over. Sprinkle with a few chopped peanuts and parsley leaves. Classic Mexican white rice (especially if it contains cubes of fried sweet plantain) is the perfect, traditional accompaniment, though black beans are excellent with mole, too.
