Mole poblano with red rice: the complete step-by-step recipe

Dried chiles, chocolate and spices in a deep sauce that simmers low and slow, served over chicken alongside red rice. Here's how real mole poblano comes together from scratch.

By CalorIA Scan · August 18, 2026 · 3 min read

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the mole:

• 4 ancho chiles, seeded
• 3 mulato chiles, seeded
• 2 pasilla chiles, seeded
• ¼ cup almonds or peanuts
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablet Mexican table chocolate, chopped
• ½ onion, charred
• 2 garlic cloves, charred
• 1 corn tortilla, toasted until nearly burnt
• 1 slice bread, toasted
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Chicken broth, as needed
• Oil or lard for frying
• Salt to taste
• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 6 chicken pieces)
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

• 2 cups rice
• 2 tomatoes
• ¼ onion
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ cup peas
• ½ cup diced carrot
• Oil
• Chicken broth or water

Method for the mole

1. Boil the chicken in water with salt, half an onion and a garlic clove until cooked through (25-30 minutes). Reserve the broth.
2. Toast the dried chiles on a griddle or skillet without burning them —just a few seconds per side, until fragrant— then soak them in hot water for 15 minutes.
3. In the same pan, toast the almonds, raisins, tortilla and bread separately, until browned.
4. Blend the drained chiles with the charred onion and garlic, the almonds, raisins, tortilla, bread, cinnamon and cloves, adding chicken broth a little at a time until smooth.
5. Fry the sauce in a large pot with a little oil or lard, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes —it will thicken and darken.
6. Add the chopped chocolate and enough chicken broth to reach a thick, spoonable sauce. Season with salt and cook 15 more minutes over low heat.
7. Add the cooked chicken pieces to the mole and let them warm together for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top right before bringing it to the table —it's the classic finishing touch for mole poblano.

Method for the red rice

1. Blend the tomatoes, onion and garlic with a splash of water.
2. Rinse the rice in hot water until it runs clear —this keeps it from turning sticky.
3. Fry the rice in a couple tablespoons of oil until lightly golden and no longer translucent.
4. Add the strained sauce, let it boil for a couple minutes, then add the broth (double the amount of liquid to rice). Stir in the peas and carrot.
5. Cover and cook over low heat for 15-18 minutes without lifting the lid. Let it rest 5 minutes before serving.

The secret to a balanced mole

There's no single "correct" chile —the balance between the ancho (sweet), the mulato (earthy) and the pasilla (smoky) is what gives mole its depth. If your mole tastes flat, it's almost always under-toasted chiles or needs a bit more chocolate. If it tastes bitter, the chiles probably burned while toasting —a single burnt chile can ruin the whole pot, so pull them off the heat the moment they turn fragrant.

How many calories are in a plate

A serving of chicken with mole poblano and red rice runs about 480-520 kcal, close to the 480 kcal mole poblano already in our calorie catalog —the rice adds another 150-200 kcal, depending on the portion. If you want to know exactly what's on your plate, snap a photo with CalorIA Scan.

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This article is informational and not medical advice. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet, especially with a pre-existing condition.