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106 minutes•Medium•Serves 4

Instant Pot Mole Poblano with Chicken

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Instant Pot Mole Poblano with Chicken

By @chef1

A simplified, yet deeply flavorful Mole Poblano made easy in the Instant Pot. Perfect for a weeknight meal, this recipe delivers the complex flavors of Mexico City with minimal effort.

Recipe Rating

Not yet rated by chefs

Ingredients

  • ●60g Dried ancho chiles
  • ●10g Dried pasilla chiles
  • ●20g Dried ancho chiles
  • ●1000g Boneless skinless chicken thighs, raw
  • ●1 medium, chopped Onion
  • ●4, minced Garlic cloves
  • ●411g Canned diced tomatoes, undrained
  • ●2 cups Chicken broth
  • ●1/4 cup Almonds
  • ●1/4 cup Raisins
  • ●2 tablespoons Sesame seeds
  • ●56.7g Dark chocolate, 70–85% cacao
  • ●1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • ●1/4 teaspoon Ground cumin
  • ●1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano
  • ●1 teaspoon Salt
  • ●1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
  • ●2 tablespoons Olive oil
  • ●8, warmed Corn tortillas
  • ●2 cups, cooked White rice

Instructions

  1. 1
    Stem and seed the dried chiles. Toast them lightly in a dry pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side to enhance their flavor. Be careful not to burn them.
  2. 2
    Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 20 minutes to soften them.
  3. 3
    While the chiles are soaking, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
  4. 4
    Heat all measured olive oil on sauté. Brown chicken in two equal batches for 3-4 minutes per side, then set aside.
  5. 5
    Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the Instant Pot. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
  6. 6
    Blend all the softened chiles with onion, garlic, all the measured diced tomatoes and 2 cups broth, almonds, raisins, sesame, chocolate and spices until smooth. Do not strain or add unlisted broth; all blended solids go into the sauce.
  7. 7
    Pour the mole sauce into the Instant Pot. Return the browned chicken thighs to the pot, nestling them in the sauce.
  8. 8
    Secure the Instant Pot lid and cook on 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' for 20 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
  9. 9
    Shred the cooked chicken, return to sauce and simmer on sauté for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
  10. 10
    Serve all chicken and mole over the measured cooked rice with all eight warm tortillas. Use the listed sesame seeds in the sauce; no additional garnish seeds.

Recipe details

Cuisine
Mexican
Category
Main course
Preparation
24 minutes
Cooking
69 minutes

Estimated total: 106 minutes. Planning estimate: stated duration ranges use their midpoint; standard preparation, heating and handling allowances are included. Overlapping tasks are counted once. Resting/chilling is included in total time.

How these estimates were calculated
  • Prepare measured ingredients: 10 min planning allowance (vegetable_prep)
  • pan preheat: 3 min planning allowance (pan_preheat)
  • transfer: 2 min planning allowance (transfer)
  • pan preheat: 3 min planning allowance (pan_preheat)
  • mix: 3 min planning allowance (mix)
  • transfer: 2 min planning allowance (transfer)
  • pressure heat: 15 min planning allowance (pressure_heat)
  • quick release: 3 min planning allowance (quick_release)
  • simple prep: 5 min planning allowance (simple_prep)
  • transfer: 2 min planning allowance (transfer)
  • Chosen 10-minute initial preparation allowance includes implicit chopping and measuring; written preparation is not counted here again.
  • Explicit reviewed multiplication: 2 sides/batch actions; source quantities and pan capacity reviewed.
  • Explicit reviewed multiplication: 4 sides/batch actions; source quantities and pan capacity reviewed.
  • Chosen weighed edible amount; not an inferred yield from the original count, package or vague amount.
  • Chosen weighed edible amount; not an inferred yield from the original count, package or vague amount.
  • Replace dried mulato with explicitly measured dried ancho.
  • Owner-authorized explicit recipe amount or suitable ingredient substitution.
  • Onion: USDA medium (2-1/2" dia) portion weight
  • Used raw medium onion; recipe specifies chopped.
  • Garlic cloves: USDA clove portion weight
  • Used raw garlic clove; recipe specifies minced.
  • Owner-authorized explicit recipe amount or suitable ingredient substitution.
  • Chicken broth: USDA cup portion weight
  • Almonds: USDA cup, whole portion weight
  • Used whole almonds; recipe does not specify form.
  • Raisins: USDA cup, packed portion weight
  • Used packed raisins; recipe does not specify packed or not packed.
  • Sesame seeds: USDA tbsp portion weight
  • Replace unknown Mexican chocolate formulation with specified dark chocolate.
  • Ground cinnamon: USDA tsp portion weight
  • Ground cumin: USDA tsp, whole portion weight
  • Used cumin seed as a generic equivalent for ground cumin.
  • Dried oregano: USDA tsp, leaves portion weight
  • Used dried oregano leaves; recipe does not specify ground or leaves.
  • Salt: USDA tsp portion weight
  • Table salt; unknown quantity means sodium is omitted, not guessed.
  • Black pepper: USDA tsp, ground portion weight
  • USDA black pepper; documented seasoning allowance applies only to to-taste/pinch amounts.
  • Olive oil: USDA tablespoon portion weight
  • Corn tortillas: USDA tortilla portion weight
  • White rice: USDA cup portion weight
  • Used white, short-grain, enriched, cooked rice; recipe specifies 'white rice'.
  • Canned diced tomatoes, undrained: Owner-authorized explicit recipe amount or suitable ingredient substitution. Original: {"item":"Tomatoes","amount":"1 (14.5 oz) can, diced"}. Authored: {"item":"Canned diced tomatoes, undrained","amount":"411g"}.
  • Dried ancho chiles: Chosen weighed edible amount; not an inferred yield from the original count, package or vague amount. Original: {"item":"Dried ancho chiles","amount":"4"}. Authored: {"item":"Dried ancho chiles","amount":"60g"}.
  • Dried pasilla chiles: Chosen weighed edible amount; not an inferred yield from the original count, package or vague amount. Original: {"item":"Dried pasilla chiles","amount":"2"}. Authored: {"item":"Dried pasilla chiles","amount":"10g"}.
  • Dried ancho chiles: Replace dried mulato with explicitly measured dried ancho. Original: {"item":"Dried mulato chiles","amount":"2"}. Authored: {"item":"Dried ancho chiles","amount":"20g"}.
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs, raw: Owner-authorized explicit recipe amount or suitable ingredient substitution. Original: {"item":"Chicken thighs","amount":"8"}. Authored: {"item":"Boneless skinless chicken thighs, raw","amount":"1000g"}.
  • Dark chocolate, 70–85% cacao: Replace unknown Mexican chocolate formulation with specified dark chocolate. Original: {"item":"Mexican chocolate","amount":"2 ounces, chopped"}. Authored: {"item":"Dark chocolate, 70–85% cacao","amount":"56.7g"}.
  • Canned diced tomatoes, undrained: Owner-authorized explicit recipe amount or suitable ingredient substitution. Original: {"item":"Tomatoes","amount":"1 (14.5 oz) can, diced"}. Authored: {"item":"Canned diced tomatoes, undrained","amount":"411g"}.
  • Dried ancho chiles: Chosen weighed edible amount; not an inferred yield from the original count, package or vague amount. Original: {"item":"Dried ancho chiles","amount":"4"}. Authored: {"item":"Dried ancho chiles","amount":"60g"}.
  • Dried pasilla chiles: Chosen weighed edible amount; not an inferred yield from the original count, package or vague amount. Original: {"item":"Dried pasilla chiles","amount":"2"}. Authored: {"item":"Dried pasilla chiles","amount":"10g"}.
  • Dried ancho chiles: Replace dried mulato with explicitly measured dried ancho. Original: {"item":"Dried mulato chiles","amount":"2"}. Authored: {"item":"Dried ancho chiles","amount":"20g"}.
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs, raw: Owner-authorized explicit recipe amount or suitable ingredient substitution. Original: {"item":"Chicken thighs","amount":"8"}. Authored: {"item":"Boneless skinless chicken thighs, raw","amount":"1000g"}.
  • Dark chocolate, 70–85% cacao: Replace unknown Mexican chocolate formulation with specified dark chocolate. Original: {"item":"Mexican chocolate","amount":"2 ounces, chopped"}. Authored: {"item":"Dark chocolate, 70–85% cacao","amount":"56.7g"}.

mole poblano · chicken · Instant Pot · dried chiles

Estimated nutrition per serving

887 calories · 63.1 g protein · 85.5 g carbohydrate · 34 g fat · 1440 mg sodium

Source and basis: USDA FoodData Central and reviewed product references; ingredient-based calculation per serving. Documented USDA or manufacturer portion weights; all listed ingredient mass included before cooking losses. Nutrients with incomplete inputs omitted. Full ingredient matches and assumptions below.

Featured in: Around the World in 80 Meals

Journey to Mexico City and uncover the secrets of Mole Poblano! This Instant Pot recipe makes it easy to enjoy this complex and flavorful sauce at home.

Read the Story

Recipe Context

This recipe was created with the following context in mind:

Thursday
dinner
winter
Requested: 8 min
1 person
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