Mole Sauce

Cook Chicken: Add chicken, garlic, onion, bay leaf, chicken bouillon, salt, oregano and water to pot. Bring to a low boil and cook over medium heat until chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate, (reserving the broth) cover to keep it warm and set aside

Toast sesame seeds in a large dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toasted. Be careful not to burn them. Set aside

Add 2 cups of water to a large saucepan over medium-low heat. (You will transfer toasted ingredients to this post, as you toast them.)

Toast Chiles: Use scissors to cut a line down all the chilies to open them up flat. Remove veins and seeds. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chiles in a single layer, frying on both sides for just a few seconds, careful not to burn them. Transfer them to saucepan of water

Pan fry ingredients: We will pan fry most of the remaining ingredients, one at a time, so add a little oil between each batch, as needed, to coat the bottom of the pan

Fry the peanuts stirring often so they toast but don’t burn, about 45 seconds. Add to the pot. Repeat with almonds, then raisins, then animal crackers, then corn tortilla, and bread slices, adding each to the saucepan and pressing down as much as possible into the water

Turn skillet heat to medium-high and add more oil if needed to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onion and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and fry for just a few seconds before spooning the onion and garlic into the pot. Add sliced plantain to the hot oil and fry on both sides, then add to the pot

Reduce heat to medium and add peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, anise, and crushed red pepper to hot oil and fry for a few seconds, stirring constantly, then add to the pot

To the saucepan with all of the ingredients, stir in 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon

Blend: Working in batches, add everything from the pot with the chilies to a blender and add enough of the reserved chicken broth to allow the mixture to blend. During one of the blending batches, add ¼ cup of reserved toasted sesame seeds. Blend each batch for several minutes, until completely smooth, adding more chicken broth if needed

Heat 2 tablespoons lard or oil to a large saucepan. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside

Strain: Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer (discarding what’s leftover in the strainer) into the pot with the melted lard

Melt chocolate: Add the chopped chocolate to a bowl and pour some of the chicken broth into it, to help it melt. Add to pot, along with 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, to start, then more to taste, as needed

Cook mole sauce over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often. If the mixture is too thick, add more chicken broth (I usually end up using all of the remaining chicken broth). Taste and add salt or sugar, as needed

Serve: Place chicken on a plate and ladle a big spoonful of sauce on top. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with Mexican rice and warm corn tortillas on the side