Enmoladas de Pollo de Milpa Alta

In a large cast iron pan or casserole, heat about 2” vegetable oil over medium heat for about 6 to 8 minutes. To test, dip in a piece of a corn tortilla and, if the oil happily and actively bubbles around it, it is ready.

In a heat resistant spider or fine strainer, place the thyme and insert into the hot oil and fry for about 5 to 6 seconds, until you see the oil bubbling around it and changing color. Remove from the hot oil and place in an extra large bowl. Repeat, one by one, with the marjoram, anise seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, allspice berries, and whole cloves.

Then repeat the same process, one by one, with the sesame seeds, bay leaves, raisins, cinnamon stick pieces, and pumpkin seeds (which will begin popping and announce they are ready!). These may take between 5 and 15 seconds to transform.

One by one, continue with the rest of the larger ingredients: the garlic, peanuts, hazelnuts, pinenuts, and pecans. These may take 15 to 30 seconds, as they are getting larger.

As you continue with larger ingredients, you can drop them directly into the oil and scoop them out with a spider, once they have transformed and gently browned: Maria cookies, corn tortillas, all the chiles (which will puff up really fast!). Leave the chocolate until the end, it will only take a few seconds, in batches, let the chocolate transform but not melt away.

Once you are done, add the sugar and salt into the bowl with all the ingredients. Mix very well.

In batches, grind everything in the food processor for a first round. Once you have ground all the ingredients, take another pass, to grind the ingredients even finer, and take as many turns, until turned into a paste. You have made the mole paste. You can store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for months.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine a couple cups of the mole paste along with a couple cups of chicken broth, and start mixing it. Let it come to a simmer and continue cooking it for 5 minutes, until it comes together into a thick, velvety sauce. Set aside.

On a preheated comal, heat the corn tortillas about a minute per side until completely heated through. Alternatively, you could pass the tortillas through the hot oil you used to fry the mole ingredients and drain on a paper towel covered plate.

In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken with some of the mole sauce and mix until the chicken is coated in the sauce.

On a large platter, one by one, place a tortilla, add about ¼ cup shredded chicken with mole sauce, close the tortilla in a half moon shape, and continue with the remaining tortillas. Coat with a generous amount of mole sauce and dress with Mexican crema and toasted sesame seeds. If you like, garnish with chopped cilantro and scallions, but this is optional.