Chicken Mole with Homemade Mole Sauce

Brown the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the chicken 3–4 minutes per side until lightly golden. Transfer to a bowl.

Braise. Return all chicken to the pot. Add chicken broth and orange juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25–30 minutes until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a bowl; reserve the broth.

Build the mole base. In the same pot over medium heat, toast the rehydrated chiles 1–2 minutes. Add toasted almonds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. Stir for 2 minutes until fragrant.

Add Monarca & simmer. Stir in the Monarca Mole Paste, tomato paste, and 2 cups of reserved chicken broth. Whisk until smooth. Add the dark chocolate and stir until fully melted. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often.

Blend. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until completely smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Return to the pot. If the sauce is too thick, add more reserved broth until it coats the back of a spoon.

Shred & combine. Remove chicken from the bone and shred. Add the shredded chicken back to the mole sauce. Simmer together for 10 more minutes so the chicken absorbs all the flavor. Season with salt to taste.