Mole Poblano with Chicken

Pat the Chicken dry and season generously with Salt.

Heat a few tablespoons of Lard in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on all sides until golden; remove and set aside.

Remove stems and seeds from the Dried Ancho Chiles, Dried Mulato Chiles, Dried Pasilla Chiles and Dried Chipotle Morita. Toast the skins briefly in a dry skillet until fragrant (don’t burn), then cover with hot Chicken Stock and let soften for 20–30 minutes.

While the chiles soak, in the same skillet char the Tomato, Tomatillo, halved White Onion and a few cloves of Garlic until blackened in spots and softened. Peel if desired.

Tear the Bolillo Roll and a couple of Corn Tortilla into pieces and fry them in a little more lard until crisp and golden; also fry sliced Plantain until caramelized. Set all aside.

In a dry skillet toast the Blanched Almonds, Peanuts, Raisins and a few tablespoons of Sesame Seeds until nutty and aromatic. Add a Canela Stick, a few Clove, some Black Peppercorn, Anise Seeds and Coriander Seeds for a minute to bloom the spices; remove whole spices if you prefer a smoother finish.

Drain the softened chiles, reserving some of the soaking liquid. In a blender combine the chiles, charred vegetables, fried bolillo and tortilla pieces, caramelized plantain, toasted nuts, seeds, raisins, the toasted spices, and a chunk of Mexican Chocolate. Add enough reserved soaking liquid and a bit more Chicken Stock to help the blender along, and puree to a very smooth paste.

Pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing to extract as much flavor as possible. Add additional Chicken Stock to reach a saucy consistency and simmer gently for 20–30 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t stick. Break up any lumps and taste for seasoning, adding more salt as needed.

Return the browned chicken to the sauce, cover, and simmer over low heat until the meat is cooked through and tender, about 30–40 minutes depending on size. Spoon sauce over the chicken occasionally so it’s well coated.

Meanwhile, cook the White Rice according to package directions (use a bit of stock or water and a pinch of salt) so it’s ready when the mole is done.

To serve, mound rice on plates, place pieces of chicken over the rice and ladle plenty of mole over everything. Garnish with additional toasted sesame seeds and crisp tortilla strips or warm extra Corn Tortilla on the side.