Mole poblano with chicken

Step 1: Put 3 ½ lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, 8 ¼ cups water, ½ white onion, 2 cloves garlic and 2 tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, skim, and poach gently for 30–35 minutes, until the thickest part reads 165°F (165 °F) and the juices run clear. Lift out the chicken, cover and keep the broth; you need about 1.2 litres.

Step 2: Heat 2 ½ tbsp lard or vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 4 dried mulato chillies, 3 dried ancho chillies and 3 dried pasilla chillies, a few at a time, for about 10 seconds a side, just until they puff and smell rich. Common mistake: frying them too long. Blackened chillies make mole harsh and bitter, and there is no fixing it.

Step 3: Put the chillies in a bowl, cover with hot chicken broth and soak for 20 minutes, until soft.

Step 4: In the same pan, fry 1 ⅜ oz skin-on almonds and 1 oz unsalted peanuts for 2–3 minutes until golden, then add 1 oz raisins for 30 seconds until they puff. Scoop into the blender jar.

Step 5: Toast 4 tbsp sesame seeds and the kept chilli seeds in a dry pan over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden. Add to the blender.

Step 6: Fry 2 stale corn tortillas in the pan with a little more fat until crisp, then fry ½ white onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 ripe tomato and 2 tomatillos for 8 minutes, until soft and charred in spots. Add everything to the blender.

Step 7: Toast 2 in cinnamon stick (Ceylon if possible), 3 cloves, 6 black peppercorns and ¼ tsp aniseed in a dry pan for 1 minute until fragrant, and add them to the blender with the drained chillies and 400 ml of broth.

Step 8: Blend for 3–4 minutes, in two batches if needed, until completely smooth, adding a splash more broth to keep the blades turning. Press through a sieve for a silky sauce.

Step 9: Heat the rest of the 2 ½ tbsp lard or vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pot over a medium-high heat until very hot. Pour in the paste all at once (stand back, it spits) and stir constantly for 5–8 minutes, until it darkens and thickens to a paste.

Step 10: Stir in 600 ml of broth, 1 ¾ oz Mexican drinking chocolate or dark chocolate and 1 tbsp sugar. Simmer over a low heat, half-covered, for 40–45 minutes, stirring often from the bottom, until the fat glistens on top and the sauce coats a spoon thickly. Add more broth if it gets too thick, and season with salt.

Step 11: Add the chicken to the mole and simmer for 10 minutes, until it is piping hot all the way through.

Step 12: Serve the chicken with plenty of sauce, scattered with the extra toasted sesame. Leftover mole keeps 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.