Mole Recipe (Mexican Chicken Wings in Mole Poblano Sauce)
An easy mole recipe: crispy baked chicken wings coated in a rich Mexican mole poblano sauce of toasted chiles, nuts, spices and chocolate.
This mole recipe turns crispy baked chicken wings into a sticky, glossy party dish coated in a deep, dark Mexican mole sauce made from toasted dried chiles, nuts, seeds, spices and a little chocolate. It is the kind of sauce that tastes like it took all day, and with a few smart shortcuts you can make it at home in about two hours.
The word mole comes from the Nahuatl word mōlli, which simply means sauce or mixture. Over centuries the name came to describe a family of rich, complex sauces from central and southern Mexico, especially Puebla and Oaxaca. The best known is mole poblano, a reddish-brown sauce built on three dried chiles (ancho, pasilla and mulato) and traditionally served over turkey or chicken at weddings, baptisms and big family celebrations. Our version follows that poblano style but uses guajillo in place of hard-to-find mulato.
The flavour of a good mole comes from layering. Each ingredient is toasted or fried separately so it develops its own character: the chiles become smoky and fruity, the sesame seeds and almonds turn nutty, the onion, garlic and tomato sweeten, and warm spices such as cinnamon, clove and black pepper add depth. Everything is blended into a smooth paste, then fried in a little hot fat until it darkens and thickens. That frying step, called sazonar, is what makes mole taste rounded rather than raw. A small piece of Mexican chocolate and a pinch of sugar balance the bitterness of the chiles without making the sauce sweet.
Ingredient swaps are easy. If you cannot find pasilla chiles, use extra ancho. Peanuts can replace almonds, and a tablespoon of raisins or half a ripe plantain adds the gentle sweetness found in many family recipes. Use dark chocolate with a pinch of extra cinnamon if you do not have Mexican tablet chocolate. For a shortcut, a good jar of mole paste thinned with stock works, though homemade is far more vivid. Leftover mole freezes beautifully for up to three months.
Serve the wings scattered with toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onion, with lime wedges, warm corn tortillas and a bowl of Mexican red rice. Any extra sauce is wonderful spooned over enchiladas or shredded chicken the next day.
Watch how it is made on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/shorts/tAuznmCND14
Watch how it is made
Ingredients
- 1200 g chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes
- 1 tsp fine salt (for the wings)
- 1 tbsp baking powder (aluminium-free)Substitute: cornflour
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seededSubstitute: 1 extra ancho
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seededSubstitute: mulato chiles
- 3 tbsp lard or neutral oil, divided
- 30 g blanched almondsSubstitute: unsalted peanuts
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 1 corn tortilla, torn
- 0.5 white onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 ripe plum tomatoes, halved
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon (Ceylon)
- 0.25 tsp ground cloves
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 750 ml chicken stock, divided
- 40 g Mexican tablet chocolate, choppedSubstitute: 70% dark chocolate plus a pinch of cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar or piloncillo, to taste
- 2 spring onions, sliced, to serve
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
Method
- Dry and season the wings. Pat the wings very dry, toss with the salt and baking powder, and spread on a rack set over a lined tray. Chill uncovered for at least 15 minutes so the skin dries out.
- Toast and soak the chiles. Toast the ancho, pasilla and guajillo chiles in a dry pan for 15 to 20 seconds per side until fragrant but not burnt. Cover with 250 ml of hot stock and soak until soft.
- Bake the wings. Roast the wings at 220°C (425°F) for 45 to 50 minutes, turning once halfway, until deep golden and crisp.
- Fry the nuts, seeds and tortilla. While the wings bake, heat 1 tbsp lard in a pan and fry the almonds, sesame seeds, raisins and torn tortilla for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Tip into a blender.
- Char the aromatics. In the same pan, cook the onion, garlic and tomatoes over high heat until blistered and soft, about 8 minutes. Add them to the blender with the spices and oregano.
- Blend the mole. Add the soaked chiles and their soaking stock to the blender and blend for 2 full minutes until completely smooth, adding a splash more stock if needed. Push through a sieve for the silkiest sauce.
- Fry the sauce. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp lard in a heavy pot until shimmering, pour in the paste (it will splutter) and stir constantly for 5 minutes until it darkens and thickens.
- Simmer and balance. Stir in the remaining 500 ml stock, the chocolate and sugar. Simmer gently, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes until it coats a spoon. Season with salt to taste.
- Coat and serve. Toss the hot wings in a few ladles of mole until glossy. Pile onto a platter, scatter with sesame seeds and spring onion, and serve with lime wedges and extra sauce.
Burnt chiles are the most common way to ruin mole, so toast them only until they smell fragrant and turn slightly brighter; if one blackens, throw it away. Frying the blended paste is not optional, as it cooks out the raw chile taste and gives the sauce its dark, glossy finish. Mole tastes even better the next day, so you can make the sauce up to three days ahead, keep it in the fridge and simply reheat with a splash of stock before tossing it with freshly baked wings. Baking powder (not baking soda) on the wings gives fryer-crisp skin in the oven.
Frequently asked questions
What is mole sauce made of?
Mole poblano is made from dried chiles such as ancho, pasilla and mulato or guajillo, blended with toasted nuts and seeds, onion, garlic, tomato, warm spices, a thickener like tortilla or bread, stock and a little chocolate.
Does mole taste like chocolate?
Not really. The chocolate is a small part of the recipe and mainly softens the bitterness of the chiles. Mole tastes smoky, earthy, slightly sweet and gently spicy.
Is mole sauce spicy?
Mole poblano is mild to medium. Ancho, pasilla and guajillo chiles are more fruity and smoky than hot. Add a dried chile de árbol to the blender if you want more heat.
How long does homemade mole last?
Homemade mole keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge and around 3 months in the freezer. Reheat it gently with a splash of stock, as it thickens when cold.
Can I make mole with store-bought mole paste?
Yes. Fry a jar of mole paste in a little oil, then whisk in chicken stock until it is pourable and simmer for 10 minutes. It is quicker, though homemade has a brighter, deeper flavour.
What is the difference between mole poblano and mole negro?
Mole poblano comes from Puebla and is reddish-brown, built on ancho, pasilla and mulato chiles. Mole negro is from Oaxaca, uses chilhuacle negro chiles that are charred very dark, and has a blacker colour and more bitter, smoky taste.
