Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

Mole poblano is among the most iconic and celebrated sauces to come out of Mexico. Slow cook it to get this complex beauty with a fraction of the effort.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 dried mulato chiles
  • 4 dried pasilla chiles
  • 3 dried ancho chiles
  • 2 dried chipotle chiles
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 14.5 oz canned tomatoes, diced
  • 3 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 3 oz Mexican chocolate, finely chopped (Can sub for bittersweet chocolate)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbs sugar (Add more to taste)
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • De-stem and de-seed the dried chiles, then cut into strips (scissors sometimes work better than knives for this) and place in the blender.
  • Heat the chicken broth, then pour into the blender as well. Let the peppers steep about 10 minutes to soften.
  • Blend to make sure the peppers are breaking up. Then add the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, almonds, raisins, and chocolate. Blend to make a thick sauce, then pour into the slow cooker. Work in batches if you need to, it'll all get mixed together in the slow cooker anyway.
  • Stir in the pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and sugar. Salt the chicken, then add to the slow cooker. Lightly toss in the sauce to coat, then cover and cook until the chicken is tender, about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
  • Serve topped with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Notes

Unless you've got a house full of exceptionally eager eaters, you'll likely have some leftover sauce. Save it and try it on eggs, chips, tamales, or anything else you want to bless with a thick, complex, wonderfully spiced sauce.