Moles and Pipianes/

Tacos of “Easy” Slow Cooker Mole with Chicken

Servings: 12or more, about 2 quarts of sauce
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Ingredients

  • 1/2cup rich-tasting pork lard or vegetable oil, plus a little more if necessary
  • 6medium (about 3 ounces total)dried mulato chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
  • 3medium (about 1 ½ ounces total)dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
  • 5medium (about 1 ½ ounces total)dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
  • 4garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3/4cup (about 3 ounces) whole almonds—with or without skins
  • 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) raisins
  • 115-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
  • 1/2teaspoonground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
  • 1/4teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
  • 1/4teaspoon anise, preferably freshly ground (optional)
  • A scant 1/8teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground
  • 1 ounce (about 1/3 of a 3.3-ounce tablet)Mexican chocolate , roughly chopped
  • 1slice firm white bread, darkly toasted and broken into several pieces
  • 2 to 3tablespoons sugar (plus a little more if needed)
  • Salt
  • About 2quarts chicken broth
  • 1/3cup sesame seeds, toasted
  • 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 12 warm corn tortillas

Instructions

Preparing the mole base. If your slow-cooker has a removable cooking crock that can be placed directly on the heat, measure in the lard or oil and set over medium heat.  Otherwise, heat the lard or oil in a large (12 inch) non-stick skillet. When hot, add the chiles, garlic, almonds and raisins. Stir slowly and continually until the chiles are thoroughly toasted (the interior of each piece will become lighter in color) and the almonds have taken on a creamy color and toasty aroma—about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes (with their juice), spices, chocolate and bread.  Cook until the tomato juices are reduced and quite thick, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water, the sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Stir to combine. When the liquid comes to a simmer, transfer the crock to the slow-cooker (or scrape the mixture into your slow-cooker). Cook on low for 6 hours. After 6 hours most of the liquid will be reduced to a glaze. The mixture can hold for several hours on the slow-cooker’s “warm” setting.

Finish the moleScrape every bit of the mole base into a bowl, then scoop half of it into a blender jar. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth, cover and blend until as smooth as possible-for most household blenders this will take 4 to 5 minutes.  Set a medium-mesh strainer over the slow-cooker’s cooking crock and press the mole base through it. Repeat with the remainder of the mole base. Stir in 3 more cups chicken broth. Simmer in the slow-cooker for 2 hours or so on high. If the sauce has thickened past the consistency of a cream soup, stir in a little more of the broth. Taste and season with additional salt (usually about 1 teaspoon) and sugar (usually 2 to 3 tablespoons).

Serve. In a medium bowl combine the shredded chicken and about 1 cup of the mole and combine well. Scoop into a warm corn tortillas, garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy without hesitation.

Comments

  1. The written recipe omits the final simmering of the mole after straining that is described in the video.

  2. Hi Rick,

    I was wondering how you would store this mole? can it be frozen? will it hold at fridge temperatures for a long period of time? Let me know what you think!

    -Chris

  3. I have made this receipe 3 times. Everyone loves it. This is becoming my dish for all our gatherings. The aroma is wonderful.

  4. The video says slow cook on high 6 hours, written recipe says low for 6 hours. Which is the better method? Thanks!

  5. My wife an I are big fans of mole. I tried making this yesterday. I omitted the bread for two tortillas because we are gluten free and I used sliced almonds. I thought it was a little too bitter and not sweet enough. It seemed to me when I added sugar at the end to sweeten it up it was almost more bitter. Is this possible? How can I lessen the bitterness and up the sweetness? Love Rick and his videos. We moved to Michigan and really miss his restaurants.

  6. I did it and gave some away to relatives. They said it was the best mole they have tasted. I also enjoyed it a lot. Actually, IT WAS THE EASIEST mole I have made. The appliances made the hard work: the Instant Pot (slow cooker program) and the blender.

  7. Great recipe. Some day before I die I will try the mole you made for a State Dinner (recipe online). The only change I make to this one is that since it’s in a crockpot, I can simmer the finished product for 2 or 3 days. Adds complexity to the flavor, and makes for good dinner conversation. I set the crockpot outside so the house doesn’t smell like mole.

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