• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Instant Pot
  • Beef Gravy
  • Store

Cooking With Curls logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Instant Pot
  • Beef Gravy
  • Store
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Instant Pot
    • Beef Gravy
    • Store
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Condiment » Whole 30 Mole Sauce

    Published: Jan 20, 2017 · Modified: Sep 4, 2021 by Lisa Johnson

    Whole 30 Mole Sauce

    599 shares
    • Share5
    • Tweet

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, please visit my disclosure page.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    This Whole 30 Mole Sauce is the perfect way to jazz up your roast chicken or beef | cookingwithcurls.com

    I have a funny story to tell you about this Whole 30 Mole Sauce, and why it is mixed in with chocolate desserts! The Feast & Devour group voted on upcoming ingredients to use in the new year...and then re-voted in December to get chocolate in before Valentine's Day. Guess who missed the memo? So a reminder was posted a couple of weeks ago to get our "chocolate" recipes into the document. Um, why did I just make Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup? Oops, we are no longer doing cauliflower.

    This Whole 30 Mole Sauce is the perfect way to jazz up your roast chicken | cookingwithcurls.com

    But, but, I'm doing Whole 30...I can't possibly make a creamy delicious dessert right in the middle!!! Julie to the rescue {I love my Julie}. She suggested Chicken Mole, and I took it one step further to create this yummy Whole 30 Mole Sauce that is good enough to fool your friends and family, they will  never notice the difference.

    A jar filled with mold sauce.

    Peanuts/peanut butter, sugar, and tortillas were omitted, but all of the flavor is still there. Yes, there are a lot of steps...but you're not going to make it everyday, right? Don't worry, I will walk you through the whole process. One more quick look at the finished product to get you drooling.

    Looking down on a chicken breast topped with mole sauce sitting on a bed of cauliflower rice.

    How do you make Whole 30 Mole Sauce?

    Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing in the pan until golden, about 5 minutes.

    sesame seeds in a non-stick skillet.

    Set aside 2 tablespoons to use as garnish, and pour the remainder into a blender.

    Toast the cloves, cinnamon stick, anise and coriander seeds in the same skillet until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add to the blender.

    Corriander seeds, cinnamon stick. and cloves in a non-stick skillet.

    Remove the stems and seeds from the chile peppers, set aside. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add the chiles and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.

    Dried chile pepper in a skillet.

    Transfer to a large bowl, cover with hot water and set aside until softened and pliable, about 30 minutes.

    Dried chile pepper and water soaking in a large bowl.

    Add the raisins, almonds, and pumpkin seeds to the oil in the skillet. Cook, stirring until the seeds are golden brown, about 2 minutes.

    raisins, almonds, and pumpkin seeds to the oil in the skillet.

    Add to the blender along with the oil from the skillet. Add the softened chiles and puree.

    Raisin mixture added to a blender with cooking water and sesame seeds.

    adding 2 to 3 cups of the chile soaking water to make a thick, smooth sauce. I started with 2 cups and ended up needing all 3 cups.

    Chile pepper puree in a blender.

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chile sauce and cook until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes.

    Chile sauce simmering in a large pot.

    Add the chicken stock and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 20 minutes.

    Chicken stock added to the sauce mixture.

    Stir in the cacao and continue stirring and cooking until the sauce reduces, about 20 minutes.

    cacao powder added to the sauce.

    Season with salt and pepper. Serve over roasted chicken, beef, or pork, and garnish with the reserved sesame seeds.

    Mole Sauce over roast chicken on a bed of cauliflower rice.

    I served my roast chicken thighs covered in this delicious Whole 30 Mole Sauce and a side of Cauliflower "Rice" with 2 Tablespoons of salsa mixed in....delicious!! 🙂

    Recipe Notes:

    {contains affiliate links}

    • You will need a medium sized non-stick skillet, a large pot/Dutch oven, a large bowl, and a good blender. An immersion blender will not work. A food processor probably will, but I did not try that....let me know if you do. I  have this Ninja Kitchen System in case you are wondering.
    • I actually could not find the guajillo chile peppers, but I did not let that stop me. I substituted New Mexico peppers and it was still delicious. You might want to order them ahead of time.
    • I also could not find whole blanched almonds, so slivered was my only option.
    • Yes, that does say cacao, not cocoa. You can read my reason why in this post, or you can substitute unsweetened cocoa.

    This will be the perfect meal on Cinco de Mayo this year!

    If you are here for this Whole 30 compliant recipe only, the recipe is right below. If you are here for the yummy chocolate desserts, scroll past the recipe and please don't tell the rest of us how incredibly yummy they are, lol

    Enjoy!!

    This Whole 30 Mole Sauce is the perfect way to jazz up your roast chicken or beef | cookingwithcurls.com

    Whole 30 Mole Sauce

    Your family and friends will never guess that this Whole 30 Mole Sauce is healthy, because it is so rich and delicious!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: chocolate, sauce, Mexican, whole 30, paleo, recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 334kcal
    Author: Lisa Johnson

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup sesame seeds
    • 5 whole cloves
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • ½ teaspoon anise seeds
    • ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
    • 6 dried guajillo chile peppers
    • 4 dried ancho chile peppers
    • 6 Tablespoons olive oil
    • ¼ cup raisins
    • ¼ cup whole, blanched almonds
    • ¼ cup hulled pumpkin seeds
    • 4 cups chicken stock
    • ⅓ cup unsweetened cacao
    • sea salt and black pepper (to taste)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing in the pan until golden, about 5 minutes.
    • Set aside 2 Tablespoons to use as garnish, and pour the remainder into a blender.
    • Toast the cloves, cinnamon stick, anise and coriander seeds in the same skillet until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add to the blender.
    • Remove the stems and seeds from the chile peppers, set aside.
    • Heat 4 Tablespoons of oil in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add the chiles and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
    • Transfer to a large bowl, cover with hot water and set aside until softened and pliable, about 30 minutes.
    • Add the raisins, almonds, and pumpkin seeds to the oil in the skillet. Cook, stirring until the seeds are golden brown, about 2 minutes.
    • Add to the blender along with the oil from the skillet. Add the softened chiles and puree, adding 2 to 3 cups of the chile soaking water to make a thick, smooth sauce.
    • Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chile sauce and cook until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes.
    • Add the chicken stock and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 20 minutes.
    • Stir in the cacao and continue stirring and cooking until the sauce reduces, about 20 minutes.
    • Season with salt and pepper. Serve over roasted chicken, beef, or pork, and garnish with the reserved sesame seeds.

    Notes

    • You will need a medium sized non-stick skillet, a large pot/Dutch oven, a large bowl, and a good blender. An immersion blender will not work. A food processor probably will, but I did not try that….let me know if you do. I  have this Ninja Kitchen System in case you are wondering. {affiate link}
    • I actually could not find the guajillo chile peppers, but I did not let that stop me. I substituted New Mexico peppers and it was still delicious. You might want to order them ahead of time.
    • I also could not find whole blanched almonds, so slivered was my only option.
    • Yes, that does say cacao, not cocoa. You can read my reason why in this post, or you can substitute unsweetened cocoa.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 237mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 3.7mg

    more delicious chocolate recipes:

    Chocolate Recipes for your Sweet Tooth | cookingwithcurls.com
    • Bourbon Fudge from Bread Booze Bacon
    • Easy Chocolate Pudding Cupcakes from White Lights on Wednesday
    • Chocolate Kiss Cookies from I Heart Eating
    • Espresso Chocolate Cake from Kleinworth & Co.
    • Whole 30 Mole Chicken from Cooking with Curls
    • Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake from Home.Made.Interest.
    • Peanut Butter Buckeye Brownie Hearts from The Creative Bite
    • Triple Chocolate Skillet Cookie from Celebrating Sweets
    • Homemade Chocolate Sauce from The Two Bite Club
    • Chocolate Lava Cake for Two from Liz on Call
    • Chewy Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies from It Bakes Me Happy
    « Pomegranate Cherry Spritzer
    Smashed Potato Burgers »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kimm at Reinvented says

      February 03, 2017 at 2:56 pm

      We love mole sauce. That looks so rich and delicious!
      Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Headshot of Lisa Johnson

    Hi, I'm Lisa - Welcome to my kitchen! I have a passion for good food and love sharing my creations with friends, family and everyone that loves a homecooked meal. This is where I share my favorite recipes with step-by-step instructions as well as tips and tricks to help you make these delicious recipes in your home.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Layered Greek Dip
    • Lemon Cream Cheese Danish
    • Creative Brunch Ideas
    • Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
    Shop Lisa's Favorite Products on amazon.com with 5 product images.

    As seen in...

    List of magazine where my recipes have been featured.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer & Disclosure
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Contact

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates & receive a FREE Instant Pot e-Book filled with the Top 10 reader's favorite recipes!

    Topics

    • Instant Pot
    • Tropical Pina Colada
    • Beef Gravy
    • Recipe Index

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2012-2022 Cooking with Curls® | All Rights Reserved