Chicken Mole is one of our favorite Mexican Chicken Recipes. Start with the most flavorful homemade mole sauce, combine with chicken, and you’ve got the easiest recipe, ready in under 30 minutes. Make tacos, burritos, and more!
What’s in this Chicken Mole Recipe?
This easy recipe just combines a homemade mole with shredded chicken. Rich and creamy chocolate adds a delicious sweetness to combat the spiciness of the peppers, making the perfect sauce!
- Onion + Garlic: Add a sweet and earthy flavor to the sauce.
- Chipotle Peppers with Adobo Sauce: Look for a can of peppers that comes in the sauce, as we are using both parts in this recipe. This will make the sauce rich and spicy.
- Tomatoes with Green Chiles: Adds a pop of tomato flavor and more spice.
- Peanut Butter: Adds a rich, nutty flavor and thickens the sauce. Use smooth peanut butter.
- Chicken Broth: Helps thin the sauce to the proper consistency.
- Spices: Chili powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and garlic add depth of flavor to this dish.
- Chocolate: Helps to counteract the spiciness of the peppers. Use unsweetened chocolate.
- Chicken: I used a rotisserie chicken to make this super easy, but you can make your own shredded chicken.
Pro Tip: A high-powered blender is the best way to get a super smooth consistency for your homemade sauce.
Variations on Mole Chicken
This is a great traditional mole recipe. However, there are many different types of mole sauces.
- You can make mole verde (green mole) by using jalapeños in place of the chipotle chiles, tomatillos in place of the tomatoes with green chiles, using ground pumpkin seeds instead of peanut butter, and adding some cilantro.
- You can make mole Coloradito by adding a bit of brown sugar and some raisins to the sauce.
- You can make mole amarillo (yellow mole) by using yellow chiles, tomatillos, and cumin. This version does not have any chocolate.
Mole is a traditional sauce in Mexican cooking, that is poured over cooked meat, rather than cooking along with the meat. The sauce can be made up of various combinations of peppers, nuts, sweet elements, chocolate, spices, and more. So each recipe is a little different!
Yes! Mole is a great source of vitamin B, iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and niacin.
This sauce is spicy, smoky, earthy, and sweet. It’s truly unique!
Nope! This dish has a wonderful balance of flavors, so much so that you don’t even taste the chocolate. It helps to enrich the sauce and deepen the color and flavor.
This mole sauce is filled with all kinds of peppers, so it is quite a spicy recipe.
No, not all types of mole contain chocolate.
Yes, this recipe is easy to make ahead of time! You can make the mole sauce and keep it in the fridge up to 2 weeks ahead of time. Or you can make the mole chicken itself, and store that in the fridge up to 3 days, or freeze for 1 month.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover chicken mole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pot set over medium-low on the stove or in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze chicken mole in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken mole is best served with fun and fresh sides that turn it into a real Mexican fiesta, even if you’re just serving up a weeknight dinner. I typically whip up a batch of rice or heat up some tortillas for a quick meal.
If you have a little extra time, I suggest prepping some toppings such as avocado, sour cream, chopped peanuts, lime wedges, and fresh cilantro to make the best chicken tacos ever!
Chicken Mole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 chipotle pepper chopped (from 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
- 2 teaspoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle pepper can)
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles (1 can)
- 4 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 2 pounds shredded cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken
For Serving
- White rice or tortillas
- Optional toppings: avocado, sour cream, chopped peanuts, lime wedges, and/or fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place a pot over medium heat and add the oil2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the onion and garlic, stirring often for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.1 onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, tomatoes with green chiles. Stir to combine. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.1 chipotle pepper, 2 teaspoon adobo sauce, 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles
- Carefully pour the mixture into a high powered blender.
- Add the peanut butter, chicken broth, chili powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Blend until well combined.4 tablespoons smooth peanut butter, 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 2 teaspoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Return the mixture to the pot over medium heat. Cook to reduce for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chocolate and stir until melted.2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- Stir in the chicken, fully coating in the sauce.2 pounds shredded cooked chicken
- Serve over rice or with warm tortillas. Top with optional toppings such as avocado, sour cream, chopped peanuts, lime wedges, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!White rice, Optional toppings:
Notes
-
- Use rotisserie chicken or another pre-cooked option make this recipe super quick and easy!
- A high-powered blender is the best way to get a super smooth consistency for your homemade sauce.
- Serve with your favorite toppings or sides to make easy burrito bowls.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Helen Betts says
This was good, but I’d have to say that 2 pounds of shredded chicken would have been far too much. I used a pound of shredded chicken breast, and that was just fine.
PattyCake says
Delish! Will make again.
Becky Hardin says
Thank you!!
Martha Medrano says
This recipe takes me back to memory lane when my mother used to make it for me. This dish is one of my favorite Mexican dishes, DELICIOUS.
Becky Hardin says
I’m glad I could help with that!!
Sylvia Jalomo says
Hi,
I’m looking forward to trying it this recipe. I’ve always been intimidated by the long list of ingredients to make mole.
I have a question about the peanut butter: I’ve noticed that many more than recipes have sugar in them. This may be wonder about the type of peanut butter to use. Do you use an all natural smooth peanut butter or do you use something like Jiff or Skippy?
Becky Hardin says
Whatever I have on hand is what I use!