Mole Poblano

Ingredients

Salt

to taste

Chicken broth

4 cups, divided

Dark chocolate

2 ounces, chopped

Cloves

4 whole

Cinnamon stick

1

Raisins

1/4 cup

Almonds

1/4 cup, sliced

Onion

1 medium, chopped

Garlic

4 cloves

Tomatoes

4 medium, roasted

Pasilla chiles

2, stems and seeds removed

Mulato chiles

2, stems and seeds removed

Ancho chiles

2, stems and seeds removed

Chicken

2 pounds, cut into pieces

Instructions

1. Begin by boiling the chicken pieces in a large pot of salted water until fully cooked, approximately 30-40 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken and reserve the broth for the mole.
2. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pasilla, mulato, and ancho chiles until they are aromatic, about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Once toasted, soak the chiles in hot water for 30 minutes to soften.
3. While the chiles are soaking, roast the tomatoes, garlic, and onion in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes or until charred and softened.
4. In a separate pan, fry the sliced almonds and raisins in a little oil until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Using a spice grinder, finely grind the cinnamon stick and cloves.
6. In a blender, combine the soaked chiles, roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, fried almonds, raisins, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and 1 cup of reserved chicken broth. Blend until smooth.
7. In a large pot, heat a bit of oil over medium heat and pour in the blended mole sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the chopped dark chocolate to the pot and stir until melted and fully incorporated.
9. Pour in the remaining chicken broth and bring the mixture to a light simmer. Allow it to cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld beautifully.
10. Serve the rich mole sauce over the cooked chicken pieces, and enjoy with warm tortillas or rice.