Mexican Chicken Mole Recipe (Quick and Easy Version)

A quick and easy Mexican Chicken Mole recipe inspired by Puebla and Oaxaca. Rich, smoky, and full of chocolate-chilli flavour — ready in just 1 hour.

Discover how to make authentic-tasting Mexican Chicken Mole at home. This simplified version of the classic Puebla dish combines rich spices, chilli, and chocolate for a deeply flavorful sauce.

Mexican Chicken Mole Recipe

The History of Mole

Mole (pronounced MOH-lay) is one of Mexico’s most beloved dishes, originating in the Oaxaca and Puebla regions. The word molli comes from the ancient Nahuatl language, meaning “sauce” or “concoction.”

Traditional mole is known for its complex, slow-simmered flavour created from dried chillis, nuts, fruit, spices, and chocolate — often cooked over several hours or even days. This version is a simplified adaptation that delivers the same deep, aromatic flavour in far less time.

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What Is Mole Sauce?

Mole sauce is a rich, multi-layered Mexican sauce that blends sweet, savory, and smoky notes. The chocolate mole variation is especially popular and made with chilli peppers, chocolate, and peanut butter or nuts for texture and richness.

Though it contains chocolate, mole isn’t a dessert. It’s a savory sauce traditionally paired with chicken, turkey, or beef.

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What Does Mole Taste Like?

Mole sauce has a complex and balanced flavour — slightly sweet from the chocolate, spicy from the chillis, and earthy from the toasted spices. The result is a smooth, velvety sauce with a hint of smokiness that elevates any dish.

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Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• ½ can (about 200 g) chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 bar of chilli chocolate
• 2 tsp chipotle sauce (or to your taste)
• 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 300 ml boiling water
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• Juice of 1 lime
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. In an ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté for 2–3 minutes until soft and fragrant.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, cinnamon, coriander, and chipotle sauce. Stir well to combine.
4. Pour in the chicken stock, then add the chilli chocolate. Stir until melted and the sauce is smooth.
5. Add the chicken breasts, turning to coat evenly in the sauce. Season with a pinch of salt.
6. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 1 hour, stirring halfway through.
7. Remove from the oven, shred the chicken with two forks, and mix it back into the sauce.
8. If the sauce is too thin, simmer on the stovetop for a few minutes until thickened.
9. Stir in the lime juice before serving.

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Serving Suggestions

Serve your chicken mole with steamed rice, warm tortillas, or refried beans. For a traditional finish, top with fresh coriander, toasted sesame seeds, or a squeeze of lime.

This recipe captures the soul of classic Mexican mole in a quick, weeknight-friendly format — rich, comforting, and absolutely packed with flavour.

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Nutrition (Estimated per serving)

• Calories: ~320
• Protein: 34 g
• Fat: 10 g
• Carbohydrates: 18 g
• Fibre: 3 g

(Values are approximate and vary by ingredients used.)

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Author Clint Meyer
Fire Dragon Chillies Ltd
MULTI AWARD WINNING HOT SAUCES
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