Three-Chile Mole Poblano with Plantain and Tomatillo

Method

1. Put the chicken, water, broth onion and garlic, bay leaves and half the salt in a 22 cm pot and bring to the boil over high heat. Skim thoroughly, then turn down to medium-low heat and keep it just below a simmer for 35 min to make a clear broth. Lift out the chicken once cooked and strain the broth.

   Add in this stepBone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks 600 gWater 1,200 mlOnion (for the broth) ½Garlic cloves (for the broth) 2Bay leaves 1Salt ½ tsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

2. Wipe the chiles with a damp cloth and remove the stems, seeds and pale veins. Heat a dry pan, ideally cast iron, over medium-low heat and toast the chiles one variety at a time, pressing them with a spatula, about 1 min 30 sec in all, just until the skin lightens a shade and smells toasty. Pour over hot broth and soak for 20 min.

   Add in this stepDried ancho chiles 2Dried mulato chiles 1Dried pasilla chiles 1Dried chipotle chile ½

   medium-low heat

3. Toast the spices (cinnamon, cloves, anise, coriander seeds and peppercorns) in the dry pan for 30 sec until fragrant, then set aside. Add some of the lard and, over medium-low heat, fry each ingredient separately, gathering them in one bowl: the plantain sliced 1 cm thick until deep golden, the almonds and peanuts until golden, the bread and tortilla until crisp, the raisins until plump, and the sesame last until light brown (keep a little sesame back for garnish). It takes about 7 min in total. Frying separately means each one cooks just right with no burnt notes.

   Add in this stepGround cinnamon ½ tspWhole cloves 2Anise seeds 1 pinchCoriander seeds ½ tspBlack peppercorns 2 pinchLard 0.9 tbspVery ripe plantain (black skin) 60 gSkin-on almonds 20 gRaw peanuts 15 gDay-old baguette 20 gCorn tortilla 1Raisins 2 tbspSesame seeds 2¼ tbsp

   medium-low heat

4. Add more lard and roast the halved tomatoes, the husked and rinsed tomatillos and the onion and garlic in big pieces over medium heat for 10 min, rolling them around, until blackened in patches and soft right through.

   Add in this stepLard 0.9 tbspTomatoes 1Tomatillos 1Onion (for the sauce) ½Garlic cloves (for the sauce) 3

   medium heat

5. Blend the soaked chiles (discard their soaking water) with some broth into a paste. Add the fried ingredients, the roasted vegetables and more broth, using 500 ml of broth in total, and blend for 3 min until completely smooth. Press it through a fine sieve with a spatula to remove skins and seeds; this is what makes the sauce velvety.

6. Heat the remaining lard in a heavy 22 cm pot over medium-high heat. When a drop of sauce sizzles fiercely, pour in all the strained purée at once (it spits hard: hold a lid as a shield). Stir constantly for 8 min as it turns from brick red to deep chestnut and thickens to a paste. In Mexico this step is called seasoning the sauce.

   Add in this stepLard 1¼ tbsp

   medium-high heat

7. Add the chocolate, brown sugar and remaining salt, then stir in broth little by little until the sauce coats a spoon. Turn down to low heat, half-cover and simmer for 40 min, scraping the bottom every 5 minutes. It is ready when beads of red fat rise to the surface and the sweet, bitter and spicy notes taste like one.

   Add in this stepMexican table chocolate 40 gBrown sugar 1 tspSalt ½ tsp

   low heat

8. Add the chicken and warm it in the sauce over low heat for 10 min, coating it well. Serve generously sauced and scattered with the reserved sesame.

   Add in this stepSesame seeds ¾ tbsp

   low heat