Chicken mole | Chicken recipes | Jamie Oliver recipe (2024)

FAQs

What gives mole its flavor? ›

All mole sauces taste a bit different. Some are sweeter, others are spicier, and they have varying consistencies—but they all feature spicy, smoky, and earthy-sweet notes contributed by ingredients such as chiles, nuts, warm spices, raisins, and tomato.

“My grandmother would buy peanuts in their natural state and peal them. I buy the salted, fried kind in a bag that is used for snacks. Then I add less salt to the sauce. The purpose of the peanuts besides flavor is to thicken the mole sauce recipe.”

Mole (pronounced MOH-lay) is a Mexican sauce made with chiles, spices, nuts, and other various ingredients. Some mole recipes (such as this one) contain chocolate. The sauce is known for its rich, earthy, and nutty flavor.

But improvisation and secret ingredients, of course, give the mole life: Sweet bread or animal crackers instead of stale bread for thickening, a ripe banana instead of the plantain, the addition of corn tortillas (a secret to Diaz' mole).

The main ingredients are pumpkin seeds and green chile, which bring color. Other ingredients may be green tomatoes, chile poblano, chile de árbol, tails onion, radish leaves, puñeton cilantro, lettuce, chard, parsley, epazote, onion, garlic, chicken broth and a few of bolillo or tortilla.

He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants.

In general, moles mix ingredients from five different categories: chiles (at least two different types); sour (tomatoes or tomatillos); sweet (dried fruits or sugar); spices; and thickeners (bread, nuts or seeds). Once the paste is formed, it's mixed with water or broth, and then simmered for hours until it's thick.

Mole is full of plants, meaning you'll eat a variety of vitamins and minerals while consuming the sauce. Think: iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and more. Mole is also super versatile, meaning it can be a nice way to make proteins and veggies more decadent and delicious to consume.

Mole can also be added to masa (the starchy dough made from corn) or meat when wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks for tamales, served in a bowl alongside tortillas for dipping, or drizzled over eggs for breakfast. Mole is also lovely served on enchiladas.

What is traditional mole sauce made of? ›

This authentic Mole Sauce (Mole Poblano) is made by toasting and blending sweet and earthy ingredients and spices including dried chiles, peanuts, sesame seeds, chocolate, cinnamon and anise. Serve it as a main course over chicken, or with enchiladas, tacos, and burritos.

A nun at the Santa Rosa convent in Puebla is said to have invented the recipe in the 17^th century, when she heard of the impending visit of Juan de Palafox, Viceroy of New Spain and Archbishop of Puebla. To honour her guest, she emptied the larder, mixing indigenous ingredients (chilli peppers, tomatoes, cocoa, etc.)

Mole is created from dried chiles, nuts, seeds and sometimes, chocolate and more ingredients. Did you know that many traditional moles require 30 ingredients and some may even have 100 or more? This is why mole sauce has a complex flavor – one that you cannot explain directly.

While the taste of mole sauce can be classified as “acquired,” it's a popular sauce in central and southern parts of Mexico. The authentic flavor unique to this rich chocolate-chile sauce can be found in many Mexican dishes.

Mole is full of plants, meaning you'll eat a variety of vitamins and minerals while consuming the sauce. Think: iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and more. Mole is also super versatile, meaning it can be a nice way to make proteins and veggies more decadent and delicious to consume.

Is there chocolate in mole? If you think that mole sauce is a chocolate sauce, well, you are not alone. People mistakenly think that mole is also a chocolate sauce, but in reality, not all mole sauce contains chocolate. You see, there are several types of mole sauces – some may contain chocolate but others don't.

Mole is a food unique to Mexican food culture. Not only does it demonstrate the uniqueness of Mexican food, but it also provides plenty of health benefits. Overall, most mole recipes provide a good amount of fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats, thanks to the chiles, nuts, and seeds.