Amarillito Mole with Chicken

Name: Amarillito Mole with Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 2 ancho chiles (stemmed and seeded); 2 guajillo chiles (stemmed and seeded); 1 lb, or about 8 to 10 tomatillos (husked and rinsed); 1 Roma tomato; 4 garlic cloves; 2 whole cloves; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp oregano; 2 tsp kosher or sea salt (or to taste); 1/4 tsp black pepper (ground); 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 8 chicken pieces (with skin and bones); 1/4 cup white onion (chopped); 5 cups chicken broth; 3 medium fresh hoja santa or 5 dried (optional); Corn Masa Dumplings (optional)

Mole Amarillito con Pollo

Recipe Yield

6 to 8 servings

Cooking time

1 hour 10 minutes

Rate this recipe

4.75 from 8 votes

Ingredients

2 ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
2 guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
1 lb, or about 8 to 10 tomatillos husked and rinsed
1 Roma tomato
4 garlic cloves
2 whole cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp kosher or sea salt or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper ground
3 tbsp vegetable oil
8 chicken pieces with skin and bones
1/4 cup white onion chopped
5 cups chicken broth
3 medium fresh hoja santa or 5 dried optional
Corn Masa Dumplings optional

To Prepare

On an already hot comal or dry skillet set over medium heat, toast the chiles for about 10 to 15 seconds per side. They will become more pliable and release their aroma. Remove the chiles from the pan and place them in a cooking pot along with the tomatillos, tomato and garlic cloves. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, until they are soft and cooked. Transfer to a blender along with 2 whole cloves, ground cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Gently add the chicken pieces skin side down first, and brown on each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Incorporate the onion and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Pour the reserved pureed sauce on top, add the hojas santas if using, and cook until it has seasoned and thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer and keep at a steady simmer on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the masa dumplings one by one to the pan. Cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked and the mole thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Comments

46comments inAmarillito Mole with Chicken

Josie Lopez

Dec 09

Gracias lo voy a intentar.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Dec 10
  
  Ojala que te guste tanto como a mi Josie!
  
Travis- AZ

Nov 12

Made this again this year as my tamale filling. Once again a huge hit. Air fried chicken thighs at 400°, 12 minutes on each side. Shredded the chicken and added it to the sauce. My local store was out of ancho Chile’s, so I had to substitute with pasilla. Thank you Pati!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Nov 25
  
  Awesome job Travis, thanks for sharing!
  
Pete M

Nov 04

Do you remove the chicken when you cook the onions and puree? Add them back for the simmer with the broth?

Thank you.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Nov 06
  
  No, you don’t need to remove the chicken, just make some space in the middle of the skillet and cook all together Pete 🙂
  
Anonymous

Feb 27

This was a family favorite until the doctor said I needed to eat vegan. I made this recipe today substituting homemade veggie broth in the sauce and coconut oil instead of lard for the masa dumplings. My husband grilled and shredded his own chicken thighs and mixed in a bit of mole sauce. I served it with rice, beans, and avocado. It was perfect and just as good as Pati’s non-vegan version.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Mar 13
  
  Wow, thanks for sharing!
  
Susan

Feb 17

Do you serve this with Mexican rice or something else?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Mar 08
  
  White rice would be perfect on the side so it can absorb the yummy sauce Susan 😉
  
Joseph from rockaway

Sep 04

Do tomatillos need to ripen? Should they be soft and mushy to be ripe

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Sep 05
  
  No, they need to be green and firm when you touch them. If they are soft and mushy most likely they will be really bitter 🙁
  
Paul (Maryland)

Jul 06

Hi Pati,
My wife and I really enjoy your cooking show. Your pride in the cuisine and your energy are refreshing.
Question, do the seeds in either the tomato or tomatillo add any flavor? The reason I ask, due to health reasons I need remove all seeds from the dish.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jul 20
  
  Thanks for the kind words Paul! It is perfectly OK to remove the seeds, the flavor of the mole will still be totally there 😉
  
Michael Hogan (Sydney, Australia)

Jul 19

Hi Pati
Thanks for your generosity as I have often cooked from your wonderful recipes. For this one I didn’t have access to fresh tomatillos so I used tinned ones and put in the oven with the tomato until starting to blacken, adding the garlic part way through. I soaked the dried chillies before putting all in the blender. Delicious!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jul 21
  
  Awesome Michael, so glad you enjoyed this mole, greetings to Sydney 🙂
  
Joseph Galvan4617

Feb 15

Please give the recipe for the dumplings, thank you.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Feb 15
  
  Of course Joseph, here you go, enjoy! http://patijinich.com/chochoyotes-corn-masa-dumplings/
  
Steph

Sep 08

This is one of the most delicious things I have ever made. Thank you for perfecting this recipe for us!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Sep 17
  
  Yay, thanks Steph! Amarillito is one of my favorites as well 😉
  
John King

May 24

We’ve been a fan of your show for a few years now and especially enjoy the episodes dealing with Oaxaca! We just made the Amarillito Mole with Chicken and it was pure bliss. It took us back to our favorite city and some of the best mole dishes we enjoyed there. Thank you for your wonderful cooking show, easy to follow recipes and the love of Mexican culture which you share with your viewers.

Best Wishes

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 28
  
  Thanks so much John, love it when my recipes bring back sweet memories to you guys!
  
Chris Leishman

May 05

Hi Pati. I only recently discovered Pati’s Mexican Kitchen on PBS. I am so impressed with your recipes and your spirit. This Mole is incredible. I can’t wait to try the next recipe. Thank you from Connecticut!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 11
  
  Thank you Chris! Stay tuned because the new season will start airing this fall 😉
  
Travis Travieso Phoenix

Jan 04

Hey Pati! I followed the first part of the recipe and made the sauce. Then I shredded a rotisserie chicken. I combined the two and used it as the filling for some of our holiday tamales. HUGE HIT! #StillTryingToTemptPatiToVisitPhoenixAndPuertoPeñasco

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jan 06
  
  Yum…your tamales sounds great, Travis. And I’ll try to get to Phoenix soon.
  
Jacqueline

Nov 16

My family absolutely LOVES this recipe. I make it every autumn and winter and it has even impressed my sister-in-law who came from Mexico City. You can never go wrong with a recipe from Parti Jinich.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Nov 18
  
  Aw thank you, Jacqueline!
  
Mack

Oct 06

How can I get the recipe for Corn Masa Dumplings?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Oct 07
  
  Here it is, Mack: http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/chochoyotes-corn-masa-dumplings/
  
Scott Vance

Jul 20

Hola Pati!
Yet another amazing recipe. I found this recipe in your cookbook and and decided to give it a try. Honestly one of the most magical things I have ever tasted! I added a serrano at the first step, because, well, I just love serranos. I have never tasted the incredible flavor of hojas santas before, and what a great taste experience this was. I could have eaten the entire dish by myself in one sitting! Thanks again for sharing your incredible recipes!
Scott Vance

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jul 22
  
  Oh I’m so happy to hear this, Scott. I hope you give many more recipes a try.
  
Mark

May 16

Patti I love your show and cookbook. We started watching your show on Amazon and PBS this past October. This weekend I am going to try and make Amarillito Mole with Chicken since my wife has been craving mole. Our 2 month old son always smiles when he hears the opening song of your show.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 21
  
  Yay! Have fun making the chicken, Mark. And say hi to your son for me…so adorable.
  
Greg

Apr 17

Every Sunday my friends and I take turns cooking dinner. It has to be something we’ve never done before. This recipe is going to be my next meal to cook when it’s my turn. I saw you do this on your show and I’m ready to give it a go.
Thanks

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Apr 18
  
  That sounds like such a fun tradition, Greg. I hope you guys love the chicken.
  
Maxine

Feb 17

Hi Pati.

I love your show and watch often. You, your family and recipes are a treat and a joy! I make tamales and thought it would be great to make chicken mole tamales and knew your recipe would be worthy. I plan to double it but I’ll have to separate the meat, skin, bone the pieces. It’s worth it but wanted to ask if you have any other suggestions that would maybe exclude individual pieces etc.? I don’t mind going through the work but would like to make more than a dozen or two to make it worth my while. Generally, I don’t make less than six dozen at a time.

Thank you

1. Pati
  
  Mar 05
  
  No other changes, it will work great for tamales…have fun making them, Maxine.
  
Anonymous

Dec 23

Hello Patti.

Patti, I’m a 73 year old guy who pretty much dislikes cooking shows.

However, you are such a sweetheart that when I happen across your program I just have to watch it.

So I’m 73 : ( and you are married.. Sigh.

Well, at any rate “Amarillito Mole with Chicken” looks like a real prize, and I’ll probably have to try a simplified (in terms of ingredients) version of it. Thank you for that, and your intelligence and charm.

1. Pati
  
  Dec 26
  
  Aww thank you so much! I hope you love the mole!
  
James

Dec 07

Pati when I transfer the chiles tomatillos, tomato and garlic cloves to blender is that with the liquid or just, the chiles tomatillos, tomato and garlic cloves?

1. Pati
  
  Dec 22
  
  No liquid…just the chiles, tomatillos, etc.
  
  1. Aaron
    
    Apr 09
    
    Oy. I wish I read this comment before cooking. Guess I have A LOT of reducing to do. Still tastes good; just more like a soup than a sauce at the moment.
    
    1. Pati
      
      Apr 10
      
      Soup is good too 😉
      
Anonymous

Nov 15

Please I need the recipe for apricot tamarindo aprcot chicken thank you

1. Pati
  
  Nov 15
  
  Here you go: http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/recipe/chicken-with-tamarind-apricots-and-chipotle-sauce/

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