Name: Mole Poblano
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6.75 qt mole; 16 chicken pieces
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 155 g lard, for toasting the chiles; 275 g mulato chiles, seeded and stemmed; reserve the seeds; 180 g ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed; reserve the seeds; 150 g pasilla chiles, seeded and stemmed; reserve the seeds; 4,550 g boiling water; 25 g reserved chile seeds; 130 g ice-cold water; 140 g lard, for frying seeds and other ingredients; 170 g raw sesame seeds; 120 g raw pumpkin seeds; 95 g sliced baguette; 70 g dried handmade tortillas; 60 g raw unskinned almonds; 60 g dark raisins; 15 g whole Mexican cinnamon; 5 g whole black peppercorns; 1 g whole coriander seeds; 1 g whole anise seeds; 14 whole cloves; 250 g whole tomatillos; 80 g whole garlic cloves, in their skins; 1,500 g chile steeping liquid; 370 g lard, for the final mole; 435 g Mexican chocolate; 80 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste; 40 g sugar, plus more to taste; Bouillon, amount not specified; 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks; 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; Diamond Crystal kosher salt, for seasoning the chicken

Method

19 steps

Heat 130 g of lard in an appropriately sized pan over medium-high heat.
Working in batches by chile type, toast the chiles over medium heat until fragrant and lightly toasted on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove them when they reach a tobacco color.
Combine the toasted chiles in a 12-quart container and pour the boiling water over them. Weigh the chiles down to keep them submerged.
Steep for at least 30 minutes, or until very tender. Strain and reserve the steeping water for pureeing the chiles and seeds.
In a smaller pan, heat 25 g of lard over medium-high heat and toast the reserved chile seeds until golden brown. Strain off the lard, put the seeds in a bowl, and pour the ice-cold water over them.
Steep the seeds for 5 minutes, strain off the water, and add the seeds to the reserved chiles.
Working in batches, puree the chiles and seeds with the reserved chile steeping water (about 3,500 g) until very smooth. Pass through a strainer.
Working in batches, heat 140 g of lard in an appropriately sized pot. Fry the sesame seeds until golden brown; strain them from the lard, reserve the seeds, and return the lard to the pot.
Repeat the frying process with the pumpkin seeds, almonds, raisins, bread, and tortillas, frying each until golden brown and not burnt. Reserve them and return the lard to the pot as directed.
Discard the lard. Dry-roast the tomatillos until tender and dry-roast the whole garlic cloves in their skins in a cast-iron pan until tender.
Combine the fried ingredients, toasted spices, tomatillos, and garlic in a blender with chile steeping liquid. Puree on high until very smooth, then pass through a strainer and reserve.
In an appropriately sized pot, heat 370 g of lard over medium heat until very hot, then pour in the chile puree and stir.
Bring the puree to a simmer over medium-high heat, scraping and stirring with a metal spoon for about 10 minutes.
Add the seed-and-spice puree and cook for another 10 minutes, continuing to stir.
Add the Mexican chocolate, bouillon, salt, and sugar. Cook down for about 45 minutes, until the mole darkens.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar as needed. The sauce should be balanced between savory, spicy, and slightly sweet.
Season the chicken generously with salt and allow it to dry-brine as long as desired.
Add the chicken to the mole and simmer for about 1 hour, or until tender and nearly falling off the bone.
Taste and adjust the mole with salt, sugar, or water or stock as needed. Serve with rice and tortillas.