Chicken in Mole Poblano

Method

1. Put the chicken, water, broth onion and half the salt in a 20 cm pot and bring to the boil over high heat. Skim off the foam, turn down to medium-low heat and simmer gently for 30 min. Lift out the chicken when cooked and keep the broth; it goes into the sauce.

   Add in this stepBone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks 500 gWater 1,000 mlOnion (for the broth) ¼Salt ½ tsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

2. While the chicken cooks, wipe the dried chiles with a damp cloth, snip off the stems with scissors, slit them open and shake out the seeds and pale veins. Heat a dry frying pan over medium-low heat, press the chiles flat onto it with a spatula for a few seconds per side, about 1 min in total, until fragrant and slightly puffed. Burnt, blackened chiles make the sauce bitter, so pull them off quickly. Put them in a bowl, ladle over enough hot broth from the pot to cover and soak for 15 min.

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

   medium-low heat

3. In the same pan, melt a third of the lard over medium-low heat and fry the almonds and peanuts. When they turn golden, add the sesame (keep a little back for garnish), the raisins and the tortilla torn into small pieces, and fry until the raisins puff up. Add the cinnamon, cloves and pepper for the last 20 seconds. It takes about 3 min in all; keep stirring, as sesame and spices burn fast. Tip into a bowl.

   Add in this stepLard (or vegetable oil) 0.6 tbspWhole skin-on almonds 20 gRaw shelled peanuts 15 gSesame seeds 1½ tbspRaisins 2 tbspCorn tortilla 1Ground cinnamon ½ tspWhole cloves 1Black pepper 2 pinch

   medium-low heat

4. Add another third of the lard to the pan with the onion in large chunks, the garlic and the tomatoes cut in half. Cook over medium heat for 6 min, turning now and then, until charred in spots and the tomatoes are soft.

   Add in this stepLard (or vegetable oil) 0.6 tbspOnion (for the sauce) ½Garlic cloves 2Tomatoes 1

   medium heat

5. The chicken is done by now: lift it onto a plate and set the broth aside. Discard the chile soaking water, which can taste bitter. Put the soaked chiles, the fried nut mixture, the charred vegetables and 400 ml of broth in a blender and blend for 2 min until completely smooth; work in two batches if your blender is small. For an extra-silky sauce, push it through a sieve.

6. Heat the remaining lard in a deep 22 cm pot over medium-high heat, then pour in the purée (it spatters: stand back and use a long spoon). Stir constantly for 5 min as it darkens and thickens. Add the chocolate, brown sugar and the rest of the salt, then stir in broth a little at a time until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Turn down to low heat and simmer for 20 min, stirring often so it does not catch on the bottom. A thin sheen of fat on the surface means it is ready.

   Add in this stepLard (or vegetable oil) 0.6 tbspMexican table chocolate (or dark chocolate) 30 gBrown sugar 1 tspSalt ½ tsp

   medium-high heat→low heat

7. Add the chicken to the sauce and warm it through over low heat for 5 min, turning to coat. Taste, adjust the salt, then serve sprinkled with the reserved sesame seeds.

   Add in this stepSesame seeds ½ tbsp

   low heat