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Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Beef, Chicken and Pork » Mole Poblano con Pavo (Turkey with Mole Poblano Sauce)

Mole Poblano con Pavo (Turkey with Mole Poblano Sauce)

Published: Jan 2, 2019 · Modified: Nov 29, 2024

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Mole Poblano con Pavo over rice

Mole poblano is one of the more mysterious, yet treasured recipes in Mexico. The word mole in the indigenous Mexican language of Nahuatl simply means “sauce. There are infinite variations of mole throughout Mexico. However,  mole poblano is what many people outside of Mexico consider the classic mole. 

The Classic Mexican Mole Sauce

It is presumed that mole poblano was developed in a convent in Puebla, Mexico. As the story goes, the nuns of Spanish descent incorporated European ingredients – such as sesame seeds, cinnamon and cloves,  with traditional native ingredients, such as chocolate, chiles and peanuts, to develop this unique sauce. Some say that it was a happy kitchen accident,  thrown together quickly by the nuns to impress a visiting viceroy. However, if you study the recipe, you can see that the development took patience. The wisely crafeted balance of flavors that make it very special.

One of my sons loves mole poblano, so I try to make up a batch everytime he comes home. I claim to make it for him, but frankly I am serving myself double portions. Mole poblano is amazing with turkey or chicken, but I prefer turkey. The stronger, gamier flavor of turkey can really stand up to the complicated flavors of the mole.

Helpful Hints for Making Mole Poblano

A couple of helpful hints:

You will need your biggest pots and serving dishes for mole. It’s a party dish, and small saucepans will be immediately overwhelmed. Also, like tamales, there are no small recipes for home made mole poblano.

Also, mole poblano can very easily scorch. I gently simmer it over a low flame for a short period of time. My routine is that I cool it down, and then store it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Once I add the cooked turkey pieces to the sauce, the mole poblano has fully ripened in flavor, and only needs to be simmered. 

A most importantly, make sure you have an excellent quality blender, such as a Vitamix.   Food processors or cheap blenders will not give you good results. 

ingredients for mole
Collecting all the ingredients you need is the most difficult part

stone ground chocolate from Mexico
I use stone ground chocolate from Mexico
Boiling pot of turkey
Boiling the turkey requires a large cooking pot
Cut the turkey into large pieces
Cut the boiled turkey into large pieces
Diluting hte mole with turkey broth
Dilute the mole with turkey broth
simmering Mole Poblano con Pavo
Whew! The finished Mole Poblano con Pavo

Filed Under: Beef, Chicken and Pork, Main Dishes, Tacos, Enchiladas, Tostadas Tagged With: chiles, chocolate, holidays, mexican, mole, pavo, poblano, salsa, turkey

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Comments

  1. liliana munoz

    November 28, 2024 at 9:11 pm

    Bonjour merci pour votre recette peut on les faire avec seulement de hauts de cuisses de dinde?
    Et aussi la banane plantain est mûre?

    Reply
    • Melissa Guerra

      November 29, 2024 at 8:13 am

      Bonjour, désolé, ma grammaire française est horrible. Google Translate a aidé à rédiger cette lettre.

      Tout le viande de dinde est bonne, mais la viande de dinde désossée sera trop molle et n’aura pas une bonne texture. J’ai corrigé la recette. Il faut une dinde entière et non des cuisses de dinde. Peut-être y a-t-il eu confusion avec le mot « thawed » qui signifie « non congelé ». La plupart de nos dindes entières ici aux États-Unis sont vendues congelées.

      Oui, vous avez raison, le plantain doit être mûr, presque noir.

      Meilleurs vœux du Texas. Nous avons mangé de la dinde hier pour Thanksgiving. Passez un bon week-end !

      Melissa Guerra

      Reply
      • Liliana

        December 14, 2024 at 6:48 pm

        habla espanol los chiles siendo muy amargos me parece que hay que juagarlos varias veces yo lo hice y espero el plato no sea muy amargo manana lo servire con el pavo ; yo solo segui su receta espero que estara bueno.

        Reply
        • Melissa Guerra

          December 14, 2024 at 8:18 pm

          Hola, con el mole y casi todos los platillos que usan chile seco yo prefiero dejar reposar la salsa para 24 hr en el refrigerador para mejorar el sabor. Claro que puedes enjuagar los chiles pero no creo que se quita su amargura. Dejándo reposar la salsa me ha funcionado súper bien. Favor de mandar otra mensaje si tienes alguna duda. Saludos melissa

          Reply
          • Liliana

            December 15, 2024 at 12:32 pm

            Muchas gracias Melissa sii es para hoy mi cena y debo de decirte que si
            esta menos amargo ya vere esta noche cuando mezcle con el caldo como va a quedar, yo lo tuve que colar pq no llegue nunca a tener una consistensia super lisa pero me quedo muy bien asi me gustaria mandarte una foto pa que lo veas yo creo que va a ser un exito pero prometo no volverlo hacer. muchas gracias por respnderme feliz dia.

          • Melissa Guerra

            December 21, 2024 at 3:12 pm

            Feliz Año Nuevo!

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Hi! I’m Melissa Guerra! I live on a working cattle ranch with my husband, who is a rancher and artist. We have 3 grown kids, 3 dogs and a 34 year old macaw named Pepito...

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