Gluten-Free Mole Poblano
This Gluten-Free Mole Poblano recipe is a rich, homemade mole without the gluten, but with all the traditional flavor. The sauce has a little heat from 3 types of chiles, a touch of sweetness from chocolate and brown sugar, and a smooth-velvety texture that is absolutely delicious served over chicken or turkey.
Equipment
- comal (or griddle)
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 whole head of garlic, top cut off
- 10-12 cups water
For the Mole
- 6 tomatillos, husked and washed
- 5 ancho chiles
- 5 mulato chiles
- 10 guajillo chiles
- ½ head of garlic (about 6 garlic cloves)
- 1 inch Ceylon cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- reserved broth from the cooked chicken
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1-2 round tablets of gluten-free Mexican chocolate
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon oil or lard
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Instructions
Cook the Chicken
- Add the chicken to a large pot. Add the head of garlic and kosher salt.
- Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken, about 10-12 cups. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat to a simmer for 1 hour. While the chicken cooks, use a spoon to remove any grey residue that floats to the top and discard.
- Once cooked, remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. Discard the garlic and reserve the broth to use in the mole.
Make the Mole Sauce
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the tomatillos and boil until they have changed color to a pale green The tomatillos should be tender but not falling apart. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a comal (griddle) or heavy bottom pan on low. Toast the chiles on all sides until fragrant. Turn frequently to avoid burning. Set aside.
- Roast the garlic cloves with the peel still on and turn frequently until slightly golden on all sides. Remove from heat.
- Finally add the sesame seeds in a single layer. Stir frequently until the seeds are slightly browned. Set aside.
- Add 2 cups of chicken broth, tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cinnamon stick, ground cloves, salt and pepper to a blender. Blend until a smooth paste forms.
- If you are using a high-powered blender there is no need to strain. If not, use a mesh sieve to strain the sauce.
- Add the oil or lard to a large pot or Dutch oven. When the oil is hot and glistening, slowly pour in the mole sauce. Add in more chicken broth until you have a thick sauce.
- Add in the brown sugar and 1-2 tablets of Mexican chocolate (depending on how sweet you like your mole). Stir until the sugar and chocolate have dissolved.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, use your hands or two forks to shred the chicken.
- Add the shredded chicken to the mole and continue simmering for 5-10 more minutes until the chicken is heated through.
- Serve on a plate with plenty of the sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Notes
- See blog post for ideas on what to serve with the mole.
- The recipe yields a good amount of sauce so you can divide the mole sauce into 2-3 portions. Only add the chicken to the portion you plan to eat right away. Store the rest of the sauce (either in the fridge or freezer) by itself so you can use a later time.
- Feel free to play with the amount of chocolate and brown sugar you add. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, you may want to add more chocolate and sugar. If you like more savory, then decrease the quantity of those ingredients.
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