Name: Chicken Mole Verde
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, cut into 12 pieces or 12 pieces of chicken, (legs, breast) whatever you'd like; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 yellow onion, large dice; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 2 carrots, chopped; 4 cloves garlic; 2 cups chicken broth; 4 sprigs oregano; 2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds; 1/2 cup raw whole almonds; 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds; 14 ounces tomatillos (about 5 large), husks removed; 3 jalapeños, stemmed and seeds removed if you'd like it less spicy; 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and seeded; 1/2 white onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic; 1 packed cup cilantro; 1 packed cup basil; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

Jump to Recipe

Chicken Mole Verde –A vibrant green mole made with tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeños, and thickened with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Serve with Sofrito Black Beans and steamed rice for a delicious Mexican dinner. Low-Carb and Keto-Friendly. Includes a video!

TABLE OF CONTENTS show

I love this mole verde recipe for a few reasons. First, it’s a fairly easy recipe (as far as mole recipes go). Second, it’s perfect for warmer weather with loads of fresh ingredients. And third, is the most gorgeous color of green you ever did see.

This is the mole verde receta or recipe that made an appearance at last month’s Friends Who Fete Cinco de Mayo dinners.

I’ve had so many of our guests asking for the recipe that I’m sharing it here for all to see!

what is mole verde?

Traveling around Mexico, you will find many regions have their own version of the complex, flavorful sauce that is mole.

This particular version is most popular in the southern region of Veracruz, Mexico but is also made in Hidalgo as well as Puebla.

Mole verde, also known as Pipián or Pipian Verde is very different from the darker moles that you might be more familiar with.

Most moles, like the most well-known, Mole Poblano, are made with dried ingredients; dried chiles, dried fruits, etc and richer flavors of bittersweet chocolate.

A white plate with chicken mole verde, black beans, white rice, and a salad sitting on a wooden table.

Green mole, or mole verde is made exclusively with fresh ingredients.

Fresh vegetables like tomatillos and poblano peppers, and fresh herbs like cilantro and Hoja Santa, an aromatic herb that is the combination of anise, mint, and licorice, all combined.

My version uses basil instead of Hoja Santa because I couldn’t find any. But if you can get your hands on some Hoja Santa, swap it in for the basil in the recipe.

how to make mole verde

Braise the chicken in a dutch oven.
Toast all the nuts and seeds in oil. Fry stirring occasionally until golden and fragrant.
Combine all the roughly chopped tomatillos, poblanos, and jalapenos in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook stirring occasionally until soft. Strain, reserving the cooking liquid.
Blend everything in batches with reserved chicken broth.
Fry the sauce in oil, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly.
Add chicken and cook until chicken is warmed and cooked through. Serve with warm corn tortillas!

tips and tricks for making chicken mole verde

Now because I can never do anything the authentic way, I like to braise the chicken before I add it to the sauce.

Traditionally the meat component of any mole is poached and the liquid the meat is poached in is used to make the mole sauce.

For me (although it takes a bit more work) I like the deep, caramelized flavors of braised chicken and think it adds another level to the final dish.

A dish of chicken mole verde sitting on a table with a spoon in the bowl. The bowl is sitting on a white napkin.

Mole is best made a day (or even two) in advance to give the flavors to meld together and enhance the chicken.

To rewarm the Chicken Mole Verde, place everything in an oven-safe baking dish or pot and warm, covered, in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes. This will prevent the mole from burning on the bottom of the pot.

A plate of mole verde on a table with a fork in the side of the plate and a napkin to one side.

other authentic mexican dinner ideas to try!

looking for more cinco de mayo recipes?

Check out our Cinco de Mayo Party Guide for lots of DIY decor, cocktail, and recipe ideas.

to all my mole lovers!

Hats off to you because you’re a mole-making pro now! When you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so that I can see your stuff! Happy eating!

Chicken Mole Verde

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

This chicken mole verde is a fresh springtime mole with tender pieces of braised chicken are cooked in a mixture of tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro, basil, and thickened with pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

1 whole chicken, cut into 12 pieces or 12 pieces of chicken, (legs, breast) whatever you'd like
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, large dice
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken broth
4 sprigs oregano

For the Mole Verde:

2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw whole almonds
3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
14 ounces tomatillos (about 5 large), husks removed
3 jalapeños, stemmed and seeds removed if you'd like it less spicy
2 poblano peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 packed cup cilantro
1 packed cup basil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

Instructions

Heat oven and season chicken. Heat oven to 300°F. Pat chicken dry and season chicken pieces on all sides with salt and pepper.
Brown chicken. Heat oil in a large, oven-safe frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Transfer chicken to a large plate, or baking sheet.
Add vegetables and deglaze pan. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to the pot and cook until vegetables are becoming soft and browned, season with salt and pepper. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Braise chicken. Return chicken to the pan and add oregano. Cover and place in the oven. Braise chicken until tender, about 1 hour.
Strain chicken and save chicken broth. Let cool, then remove chicken pieces to a large plate or baking sheet. Place a large fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour the remaining contents of the pan through the sieve. Discard the vegetables, but save the broth for the mole. This can be done a day in advance.
Start the mole sauce. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds and toast until they become golden and start to pop, about 3 minutes. Remove to a large plate with a bamboo skimmer or slotted spoon, leaving any excess oil in the pan.
Toast almonds and sesame seeds. Add almonds to the pan and toast until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove to the plate with the pumpkin seeds. Add sesame seeds to the oil and toast until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove to the plate with the other seeds and nuts, leaving any excess oil in the pan.
Boil tomatillos and peppers. Combine tomatillos, jalapeños, and poblanos in a large pot. Cover with water and salt water generously. Bring to a boil and cook until tomatillos are soft, but not falling apart, about 7-10 minutes. Strain vegetables, saving 2-3 cups of the cooking liquid.
Blend the mole in batches. To a blender, add a spoonful of the tomatillo mixture, 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth, a spoonful of the nut mixture, a few onions, a garlic clove or two, some cilantro, and some basil. This is going to depend on the size of your blender, only fill the blender about 2/3 of the way full so it has room to blend.
Blend on high until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and keep blending more ingredients, adding all the chicken broth and then some of the tomatillo cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time if you need more liquid to get the blender moving.
Add salt and coriander to the last batch. To the last batch in the blender, add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the coriander.
Fry mole sauce. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering, add mole sauce (be careful, sauce will spatter) and fry the sauce, stirring constantly for the first few minutes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, until sauce is thickened slightly. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Warm chicken in the sauce. Add chicken and let simmer until chicken is warmed through. You can serve right away, although it is best to make this a day in advance and let the flavors meld overnight before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 224Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 22g

In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!

Comments