Pollo en Mole Negro Oaxaqueño (Chicken in Oaxacan Black Mole)

Among Oaxaca’s best-known moles, mole negro is prized for its dark colour, layered spice and slow-building depth rather than straightforward chilli heat. In this version, bone-in chicken thighs are simmered until tender, while the cooking liquid becomes the base for a smooth sauce enriched with ancho and guajillo chilli, tomato, garlic, toasted almonds, sesame seeds, warm spices and dark chocolate. The finished mole should be glossy and thick enough to coat the chicken, with smoky, nutty, savoury and gently bitter notes. Serve with warm corn tortillas to catch every spoonful of sauce.
Recipe by JustRecipes Editorial Team
Content validated: August 2026 How we create recipes
Made this recipe? Rate it
Cuisine style Oaxacan Mexican cooking
Spice level Mild
Cooking style One-pot cooking • Make-ahead friendly • Freezer-friendly
Time commitment Under 3 hours

Why this recipe works

  • Deep layered flavour: Browning the chicken, softening the tomato and blooming the chilli powders and spices builds a savoury base before the mole is blended.
  • Naturally rich sauce: Toasted almonds and sesame seeds give the mole body and a smooth, rounded texture without using dairy.
  • Good for cooking ahead: The sauce reheats well and can be loosened gently with stock, making it practical for preparing in advance or freezing.

Get the most out of this recipe

Authenticity notes

  • Oaxacan mole style: Mole negro is closely associated with Oaxaca and is known for its dark colour, toasted depth and balance of chilli, spice, seeds, nuts and chocolate.
  • Streamlined chilli preparation: Using ancho and guajillo chilli powders simplifies the process compared with preparing whole dried chillies, while still giving the sauce its dried-chilli character.
  • How to serve it: Warm corn tortillas are a natural match, useful for scooping up the thick mole and tender chicken.

Ingredient notes

  • Chilli balance: Ancho brings sweet, smoky depth, while guajillo adds gentle warmth and a brighter dried-chilli note.
  • Choose the right chocolate: Dark baking chocolate or unsweetened chocolate keeps the mole savoury and complex rather than dessert-like.
  • Toast with care: Toast the almonds and sesame seeds until fragrant and golden; taking them too dark can make the sauce taste bitter.

Texture tips

  • For a smoother mole: Blend with enough hot cooking liquid to keep the mixture moving, working in batches if needed.
  • For the right body: Simmer the blended sauce gently until it coats the back of a spoon; if it tightens too much, loosen it gradually with a little stock.

Make-ahead tips

  • Good the next day: The mole’s flavour can become more rounded after resting, so it suits being made a day ahead.
  • Freezer-friendly: Cool completely, freeze in a sealed container, then defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
  • Reheat gently: Warm over low heat until piping hot, stirring often and adding a splash of stock if the sauce has thickened.

Equipment you'll need

Blender Frying pan Large pot Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Instructions
Print
  1. Heat 1 tbsp of the sunflower oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs lightly with salt and pepper, then brown in batches for 4 to 5 minutes per side until well coloured; transfer to a plate.
  2. Pour off any excess fat, then add the remaining 1 tbsp sunflower oil to the pot. Add 4 cloves of the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until softened and starting to caramelise.
  3. Stir in the ancho chili powder, guajillo chili powder, ground cinnamon and whole cloves and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits, then return the chicken and any juices to the pot.
  4. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low for 45 to 55 minutes until the chicken is tender and pulling from the bone. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm; keep the cooking liquid at a low simmer.
  5. Meanwhile, toast the almonds and sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until golden and nutty. Tip them onto a plate to cool slightly.
  6. Add the toasted almonds and sesame seeds to a blender. Ladle in enough of the hot cooking liquid to blend smoothly, then blend until very smooth; add more liquid as needed to keep it moving.
  7. Pour the blended sauce back into the pot and simmer gently, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the dark baking chocolate and stir until melted and fully incorporated, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
  8. Return the chicken to the mole and warm through for 5 to 8 minutes until piping hot. Serve with extra sesame seeds sprinkled over the top.

Made this recipe? Rate it — a comment is optional.

Recipe notes

Serving suggestions

This recipe pairs well with:

Warm corn tortillas

Tips

  • For the smoothest mole, blend in batches and keep the sauce moving with enough hot cooking liquid; a final pass through a sieve-strainer is optional if you want it extra silky.
  • Keep the mole at a gentle simmer once blended; a hard boil can make it catch on the bottom and turn bitter.
  • If serving vulnerable groups, ensure the chicken is cooked until piping hot throughout with no pink remaining.

Substitutions

  • Replace almonds with cashew nuts for a slightly creamier, milder mole.
  • Replace sunflower oil with olive oil for a fruitier background flavour.
  • Replace dark baking chocolate with unsweetened chocolate for a deeper, less sweet finish.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days
  • Cool completely, then refrigerate in a sealed container. Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, loosening with a splash of chicken stock if needed, until piping hot; freeze for up to 3 months and defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Ratings & reviews

Liked this recipe? Share your feedback to support our cooking community.

Tried this recipe?

Choose 1–5 stars. A comment is optional.

If you leave a comment, use 10–500 characters.

Stay inspired

Discover new recipes, seasonal favourites and cooking inspiration every day. Follow JustRecipes on Pinterest and Spillt.

Pinterest
Pollo en Mole Negro Oaxaqueño (Chicken in Oaxacan Black Mole)
Image by JustRecipes
Pinterest

Recipe overview

  • Servings: 4 servings
  • Total time: 2h 30min (1h active)
  • Difficulty: Advanced
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Allergens:
    Almonds Sesame
With serving suggestions One pot Freezer friendly
Pinterest Signal WhatsApp

Plan your meals and get a complete grocery list automatically.

Add to meal planner

Equipment you'll need

Blender Frying pan Large pot Wooden spoon

Got ingredients left?

Find recipes using ingredients from this recipe or what you already have at home.

Find recipes with these ingredients →

More variations

View all

More from this course

View all

Cook with these ingredients

Chicken stock

1 cup ≈ 240 ml
Convert ingredient→

Ground cinnamon

1 cup ≈ 124.8 g
Convert ingredient→

Sesame seeds

10 oz ≈ 283 g
Convert ingredient→

Sunflower oil

1 cup ≈ 240 ml
Convert ingredient→

More with similar ingredients

View all

You might also like

Browse alphabetically

Looking for a specific recipe? Choose a letter below to jump directly to recipes starting with that letter or number.

Explore the Recipe Index

Enjoy cooking with JustRecipes?

Add JustRecipes as one of your preferred Google sources to discover our recipes more easily across Google Search.

Add JustRecipes to Google

Every recipe on JustRecipes follows the same structured editorial process. Learn how recipes are created, validated, translated, illustrated, and continuously improved across the platform. How we create recipes.