Easy 20 Minute Mole Sauce (2024)

I did not have an Abuela but if I did I know for a fact she would have made this sauce for me on the regular. It has all the richness and texture of my imaginary Abuela's secret recipe but it only takes 30 minutes.

Use it on enchiladas, chicken, burritos, tacos, and more!

🗝️ Key takeaways

• I use this easy mole sauce to kick up the flavor of chicken dishes. I've been known to spoon it over spaghetti.
• This recipe makes a lot and it freezes really well. Cook once and use it for several meals - one of my favorite ways to save time. It's not the time investment that traditional mole sauce is.
• This is so easy to make, y'all. You can spoon it over a plain chicken breast and all of a sudden you have a gourmet meal.

There are countless versions of this Mexican sauce and all have different ingredients, flavors, and textures. I like to start with dried ancho chiles because I think they give the most flavor.

🧾 Ingredients

For this mole poblano recipe you'll need:

1. Oil - You can use any kind of light oil you prefer. I use peanut oil since no one in our family has allergies.
2. A variety of dried chiles - You can adjust the flavor by adjusting the amounts and types of chiles you use. This comes with experience and practice.
3. Garlic - Whole, fresh garlic will result in the best flavor.
4. Whole cloves (the spice) - I prefer the flavor in whole cloves but you can use ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves if you like.
5. Star anise - Even if you don't like the flavor of anise try it just once. It just makes this sauce perfect.
6. Tortilla chips - These are used for flavor and texture. Use your favorite - it's a great way to use up stale chips!
7. Diced tomatoes with chiles - I use Ro*Tel but use what you have available.
8. Onion- Either yellow or white onion is fine.
9. Raisins- Raisins add natural sweetness and texture.
10. Pumpkin seeds - Help to thicken the sauce and add texture.
11. Almonds- Help to thicken the sauce and add texture.
12. Sesame seeds - Add texture and make a pretty garnish.
13. Bananas - Add sweetness and thicken the mole sauce.
14. Ground cinnamon - I prefer Vietnamese cinnamon but you can use whatever kind you like. Some people like to use whole cinnamon sticks and then fish them out after.
15. Chicken stock - Homemade is best but I buy it a lot of the time because it's just easier. Use a good, flavorful stock.
16. Unsweetened dark chocolate or 100% chocolate - This is usually called baking chocolate and it's not sweet at all. You could also use Mexican chocolate, usually sold in wafers in the Mexican market if you have one nearby.
17. Chili powder - I use my homemade chili powder but your favorite store brand is fine.
18. Brown sugar - I prefer dark brown sugar over golden brown for this recipe.
19. Salt - I used Kosher salt

🔪 Instructions

Good mole poblano sauce starts with a variety of dried chiles and a good quality chocolate. Follow these step by step images to see how it's transformed into a mouthwatering mole!

Remove seeds from chiles and ...

saute them with the dry ingredients in a heavy frying pan.

Cook for 5 minutes, or until chiles are softened and begin to brown.

Add the tomatoes, onion, raisins, bananas, cinnamon, and chicken stock.

Simmer for 20 minutes or so, adding more stock as needed, until all the ingredients are soft.

Place in a blender, about 2 cups at a time, and puree adding chicken stock as needed until the mole is a smooth, thick paste.

Set pureed sauce aside.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the chili powder and the chocolate.

Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate and chili are melted together and smooth.

Stir the pureed mixture into the chocolate mixture.

Bring to a boil, adding more chicken stock as needed to reach desired consistency.

Taste and add sugar and salt as needed. Garnish with sesame seeds.

🥫 How to store leftovers

Let the sauce come to room temperature and then spoon it into an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 to 5 days.

You can also measure out the mole into recipe sized amounts and freeze for 3 or 4 months.

💭 Things to know

1. Do let the sauce cool a little before blending. A build up of steam can cause it to "explode" out of the blender and you could get burned.
2. Make sure to blend in small amounts. 1 or 2 cups at a time depending on the size of your blender is about right.
3. This is a great way to use up stale tortilla chips!
4. Make sure not to let the garlic scorch or burn. It will give a rancid flavor to the mole sauce.

🌶️ What is mole sauce?

The term "mole" is the Aztec word for sauce and there are hundreds of different kinds of mole sauce.

Describing a good mole sauce (pronounced moh-LAY) is like describing Dvorak's New World Symphony.

There are hundreds of layers of flavor starting with succulent and ending with sweet heat...the texture is rich and velvety, but hearty and satisfying at the same time.

Complex doesn't begin to describe this versatile south of the border mole recipe made with the darkest of dark chocolates.

There are a lot of ingredients but this homemade Mexican condiment really does go together easily.

👩🏻‍🍳 FAQs

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

🍽️ Serve with...

Not sure how to use this incredible mole poblano? I've got you!

• Drizzle over tacos
• Use as an enchilada sauce
• Spoon over chicken breast before baking
• Spoon over pork
• Simmer pork or chicken in the slow cooker with this sauce
• Stir into your favorite stew recipe for a quick pick me up
• Nachos!
• Pour over cream cheese and heat in the microwave - serve as a dip with tortilla chips
• Stir a spoonful into melted butter and mix into hot vegetables to perk them up

📞 The last word

I was in Salt Lake City, Utah for a conference a few years ago and my friend Deb (from Bowl Me Over) and I decided to head out on a food adventure and try a local Vietnamese spot.

We called for an Uber and sank into the back seat with a sigh, giving the driver the address.

He pulled up at a seedy little hole in the wall with men standing around the front entrance. And when I say "men" please picture the guys that your mom firmly put her foot down about in high school.

"SO," we said to the driver, " do you have any recommendations?"

He smiled and told us about Red Iguana. We settled back in the seat and were on our way.

So, at Red Iguana we both had mole but different types. I went with a classic mole poblano over turkey and I knew I was going to replicate it to the best of my ability.

I was totally hooked! You will be, too!

Oh, and Deb? I can't remember what she ate but she had her first Paloma co*cktail!

🦎 Copycat Red Iguana mole

This authentic mole sauce is so good. It makes about a quart and a half and it freezes well. Try some over leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, or spooned over grilled chicken all summer long. - SO good!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published January 23, 2020. Last updated April 12, 2024 for better readability, more helpful information, and better images.

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