Chicken in Mole, Puebla Style

Ingredients

• •4 pounds chicken pieces, skin on
• •1 to taste sea salt and black pepper
• •2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• •4 cups white rice
• •9 cups mole sauce
• •9 whole mulato chiles
• •7 whole pasilla chiles
• •6 whole ancho chiles
• •1.56 cups vegetable oil or lard
• •4 whole tomatillos
• •5 whole cloves
• •20 whole black peppercorns
• •1 inch Mexican cinnamon stick
• •1 tablespoon chile seeds
• •½ teaspoon anise seeds
• •¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
• •8 tablespoons sesame seeds
• •4 cloves garlic
• •3 tablespoons raisins
• •20 whole almonds
• •¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• •2 whole corn tortillas
• •3 whole French rolls
• •6 cups chicken broth
• •1½ ounces Mexican chocolate

Cooking Instructions

1. 1.

   In a large stock pot, parboil the chicken in water seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Drain, reserving cooking broth, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the dish.

   30 min

2. 2.

   Prepare the Mole Poblano. Clean the chiles by removing stems, veins, and seeds; reserve 1 tablespoon of the seeds. Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a heavy skillet until it shimmers. Fry the chiles until crisp, about 10 to 15 seconds, turning once; make sure they do not burn. Drain on paper towels. Put the chiles in a nonreactive bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving the soaking water. Puree the chiles in a blender with enough of the soaking water to make a smooth paste. It may be necessary to scrape down the sides and blend several times to obtain a smooth paste. In a heavy Dutch oven heat an additional 1/2 cup oil over medium heat and add the chile puree (be careful - it will splatter). Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.

   45 min

3. 3.

   Puree the tomatillos in a blender. In a coffee or spice grinder, grind the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, and toasted seeds. Add the seed mixture and the garlic to the pureed tomatillos and blend until smooth. Set aside.

   15 min

4. 4.

   Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy frying pan. Fry each of the following ingredients and then remove with a slotted spoon: the raisins until they puff up; the almonds to a golden brown; the pumpkin seeds until they pop. If necessary, add enough oil to make 4 tablespoons and fry the tortilla pieces and bread slices until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side; remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Add raisins, almonds, pumpkins seeds, tortillas, and bread to the tomatillo puree and blend, using 1 to 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, as needed, to make a smooth sauce. This may have to be done in batches. In a heavy Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the chile puree, the tomatillo puree, and the Mexican chocolate (be careful - it will splatter). Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 5 cups of chicken broth, cook over low heat for an additional 45 minutes, stirring often enough to prevent the mixture from scorching on the bottom. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add the parboiled chicken and heat through. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with white rice.

   75 min