Easy Chicken Mole

An easy recipe for Restaurant-style Oaxaca Chicken Mole prepared in Instant Pot for homemade weeknight dinner or anytime Mexican Mole cravings. You will LOVE the flavors!

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Let's skip the take-out, and dine-in this Taco Tuesday!
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Hole-Mole! What's for dinner? Oaxaca Style Mexican Chicken Mole Coloradito (Chicken with Spiced Mexican Chocolate Sauce) made easy and home cooking approved with this 30 minutes, easy Instant Pot Chicken Mole recipe. 

My Chicken Mole recipe is special. It is loaded with flavor, is easy to prepare and above all don't need perching on stove or blending/straining the sauce. All is done in Instant Pot, needs no blending and only 15 minutes of prep. 

Chicken Mole stays good in refrigerator up-to 4-5 days, and freeze up-to 6 months. Make-ahead over the weekend and enjoy multiple times in week. It is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free and Nuts Free. 

If you don't have an Instant Pot. I highly recommend investing in one. It is a good kitchen appliance and saves lot of time in quickly making recipes which otherwise will need lot of effort. But no worries, if you don't have IP yet. I have included instruction to make Chicken Mole on stove top. 

So, why wait? Let's cook Chicken Mole for dinner tonight!

WHAT IS MOLE SAUCE?

Mole or Mole Sauce is Mexican sauce preparation. Mole sauce is made from dry chilies, nuts, spices, vegetables, chocolate and seasonings. It takes a great deal of time to prepare traditional mole. It is served on special occasions and holidays in Mexico. Mole Sauce has many variations. The recipes very from state to state and use variety of different ingredients and chilies such as Poblano, Chipotle, or Ancho chilies.  

Earlier, I have also shared rich dark Mole Sauce recipe on the blog with ingredients such as almonds, raisins, chipotle adobo, and ancho chilies. I highly recommend trying Slow Cooker Chicken Mole and Mole Chicken Enchilada to experience that more complex flavor mole. 

I wanted to keep today's mole sauce recipe easy and weeknight cooking approved. So, this is simpler version of mole which is also great for anyone with nuts or gluten or soy allergies. This sauce is special because:

  1. No blending or straining of ingredients. All ingredients blend in creating a smooth flavorful sauce just like restaurants.
  2. Only 12 minutes of cooking. From start to saute onions to finish the sauce. It is that easy!
  3. Perfect for anyone with nuts, soy or gluten allergy. It is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free and Nuts Free. 
  4. Plus Instant Pot makes Chicken Mole sauce thick, glistening and bursting with flavor in just 4 minutes of pressure cooking. How good does that sound?!

WHAT ARE OAXACA MOLE COLORADITO INGREDIENTS?

Ingredients for Mole Coloradito (Chocolate Mole) are very easy to find. For this sauce, you will need

  1. Chicken
  2. Canned Tomatoes
  3. Mexican Chocolate
  4. Sesame Oil
  5. Ancho Chili Powder
  6. Spices such as cinnamon, cumin, all-spice, paprika
  7. Herbs such as oregano, cilantro.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN MOLE?

I love to serve Chicken Mole with:

You also serve Chicken Mole as stuffing for Chicken Enchilada. 


Friends, this week don't order take-out, cook at home. Dine-in with this Restaurant-style Chicken Mole recipe. Serve it over rice or stuff in tacos. You will love the flavors and how it transports you to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Happy Cooking! 

Pairing Ideas:
Instant Pot Garlic Brown Rice Instant Pot Mexican Green Rice Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Easy Chicken Mole
Total Time: Prep Time: Cook Time:
Cuisine:    Mexican Category: Difficulty: Easy
Yields: 4 Servings Serves: 4
Notes: Additional Instant Pot Pressure Build Time: Approx. 10 minutes SEE PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Chicken (boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch strips)
  • 1 Bouillon Cube (chicken or veggie bouillon, or chicken stock concentrate)
  • 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 1.3 Oz Chocolate (1 tablet of semi-sweet chocolate, rough chopped)
  • 8 Oz Tomatoes (can of peeled and diced tomatoes, no salt added)
  • 1/2 White Onion (thin sliced)
  • 2 tsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 tbsp Garlic (4-5 cloves, minced)
  • 1 tbsp Ancho Chili (powder, See Note 1 for alternates)
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1 tsp Oregano (dried oregano)
  • 1/2 tsp All Spice
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon (powder)
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika (medium hot)
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1-2 Lime (to get 1 tbsp juice, rest cut into wedges, for serving)
  • Cilantro (fresh, for garnish)

Directions

  • 1. Heat Instant Pot to Saute setting until it reads "Hot". Add oil and sliced onions. Saute until onions are soft. (2-3 minutes)
  • 2. Add garlic, tomato paste and sesame oil. Cook stirring often for 1 minute.
  • 3. Add diced chicken and all the spices - cumin, oregano, all-spice, cinnamon, paprika and ancho chili powder. Cook for two more minutes. Stir often so that spices don't burn.
  • 4. Add 1/4 cup water, can of diced tomatoes, salt, chopped bouillon cube, and chopped chocolate. Mix well.
  • 5. Secure the lid on Instant Pot. Set to cook on Manual - High Pressure for 4 minutes. Once timer is up. Turn off Instant Pot. Quick Release the pressure. Open lid.
  • 6. Mix everything once. Add 1 tbsp of lime juice. Taste and adjust salt. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over rice with side of salsa and beans. Enjoy!

Savita's Recipe Notes:

  1. If you don't have Ancho Chili Powder. Use Chipotle Adobo - 1 chili fine minced and 1 heaping tbsp of the adobo sauce.
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE
Recipe inspired from Bonappetit, and Rick Bayless

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