Entree: Mexico – Puebla – Huaxmole (A Puebla-style mole sauce made with toasted seeds, nuts, chilies, and chocolate, served over braised chicken)

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 40 min

Cook 1 hr 10 min

Additional 15 min

Total 1 hr 50 min

Ingredients

- 4 bone-in chicken thighs, approx. 6 oz (170 g) each
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) lard or neutral vegetable oil
- 4 dried ancho chilies, about 1 oz (30 g), stems removed and seeded
- 3 dried pasilla chilies, about 0.8 oz (25 g), stems removed and seeded
- 1/2 cup (60 g) toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tbsp (18 g) toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup (35 g) toasted almonds or peanuts
- 1/2 bolillo or 2 slices day-old crusty bread, torn, about 1.5 oz (45 g)
- 1 medium onion, about 6 oz (170 g), quartered
- 3 cloves garlic, about 9 g
- 2 roma tomatoes, about 8 oz (225 g)
- 1 oz (28 g) Mexican chocolate or unsweetened dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick, about 2 g
- 4 whole cloves, about 1 g
- 1/2 tsp (1 g) ground cumin
- 2 cups (480 ml) chicken stock, plus extra for rehydrating chilies
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp (12 g) piloncillo or brown sugar
- Salt to taste
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. Toast seeds and nuts: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast pumpkin seeds, sesame, and almonds/peanuts until fragrant and lightly browned, 3–4 minutes; remove and set aside. Lightly toast torn bread until crisp and set aside.
2. Toast and rehydrate chilies: In the same skillet, briefly toast the whole ancho and pasilla chilies, 10–20 seconds per side, being careful not to burn. Place toasted chilies in a bowl and cover with 1 cup (240 ml) hot chicken stock; soak 15–20 minutes until soft, then drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
3. Char aromatics: In the skillet, add 1 tbsp (15 ml) lard or oil and char the quartered onion and tomatoes until they have blackened spots, 6–8 minutes; lightly brown the garlic 1–2 minutes. Transfer to a blender.
4. Blend the mole: In a blender combine the rehydrated chilies, charred onion, tomatoes, garlic, toasted seeds and nuts, toasted bread, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin, piloncillo, chopped chocolate, and 1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock (use reserved soaking liquid if needed). Blend until very smooth, adding more stock a little at a time to reach a thick, pourable sauce consistency.
5. Strain and finish sauce: Push the blended sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, pressing solids to extract sauce. Heat 2 tbsp (30 ml) lard or oil in the pan, pour in the strained sauce, and simmer gently 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt and sweetness, and add 1 tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar to brighten.
6. Brown and braise chicken: Season chicken thighs with salt. In a separate large skillet or braising pan, heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil over medium-high and brown chicken skin-side down 4–5 minutes until golden. Pour the mole sauce over the chicken (add a splash of stock if needed to cover partially). Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30–35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
7. Serve: Transfer chicken to plates and spoon extra mole over. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro leaves. Serve with rice or warm tortillas.