• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • meet the team
  • blogger resources
  • Contact Me
My Account
Member Dashboard
40 Aprons Premium (Ad Free!)

40 Aprons

Delicious, Healthy-ish Meals for the Whole Family

  • All Recipes
  • Most Popular
    • Cheryl’s Favorites
    • 30-Minute Recipes
    • Creamy Soups
    • Copycat Recipes
    • Casseroles
    • One-Dish Wonders
  • Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Crockpot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Cooking Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Meal Prep
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Latin
    • Southern
Home Blog Cuisine Mexican & Latin

Zacatecas-Style Green Mole Chicken (Pollo en Mole Verde)

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 10/18/21 Updated: 01/27/22
5
/5
17 Comments
Jump to Recipe
DF Dairy Free

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken
Pin graphic for green mole chicken

This Zacatecas-style green mole chicken is intensely flavorful and wholesome! Tender, juicy chicken is smothered in a flavor-packed green sauce. Fresh tomatillos, cilantro, and jalapeños come together to make this irresistibly vibrant dish.

overhead image of green mole chicken on a plate with rice and a tortilla

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • It’s jam-packed with delicious, fresh flavor! Plenty of fresh cilantro and whole tomatillos give this dish it’s incredible taste. Herbs and veggies are perfectly complimented with a curated blend of spices to make this a restaurant-quality meal.
  • The chicken is cooked to tender perfection! We start by boiling the chicken in a variety of herbs and spices. Then, the chicken sits in a bath of delicious green mole sauce and soaks up all of its irresistible flavor.
  • It’s a total crowd favorite! With just the right amount of spice, everyone will love this delicious chicken recipe. If you’d like, you can even adjust the amount of spice to better suit your friends and family’s preferences.

Key Ingredients

Cilantro – We incorporate fresh cilantro all throughout this Zacatecas-inspired dish. To prepare the cilantro for this recipe, start by washing it very well under cold water. This bright green herb has a tendency to be very sandy, and therefore needs a thorough rinse before eating. Once washed, cut off just the stems to use in the chicken portion of the recipe. Then, pluck off the leaves to use in the sauce as well as to garnish the finished dish with!

Whole Tomatillos – Whole tomatillos make up the base of the green mole sauce in this chicken recipe. Common in Mexican cooking, the country in which they originated, tomatillos are a bright green vegetable resembling a baby tomato. They’re enclosed in a husk that must be peeled off before cooking. To prepare tomatillos for this recipe, simply remove the husk and give them a good rinse. Once clean, chop each tomatillo into quarters and then cook them in a saucepan along with diced jalapeños to give them a pleasantly smoky flavor.

Flour Tortillas – Not only are flour tortillas used in serving this green mole chicken, they’re also blended into the sauce. For the sauce, start by toasted up two flour tortillas – I do this by sticking them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Once toasted, add them straight into the blender with the other mole sauce ingredients. While optional, toasted flour tortillas make the sauce more rich, thick, and creamy.

Chef’s Tips

  • Don’t forget to reserve four cups of the chicken cooking liquid! This liquid will become a very important ingredient in the sauce, later on in the recipe. It’s packed with tons of flavor and takes the overall meal to the next level.
  • Store leftover green mole chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, simply transfer to an oven-safe dish and bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes or until warm throughout.
  • Serve this Zacatecas-style meal however you’d like! I prefer enjoying mine with a side of rice and warm flour tortillas. The rice and tortillas are perfect for soaking up any extra sauce – yum!
green mole chicken in a skillet with fresh cilantro on top

Other Flavorful Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

  • Chicken Fricassee
  • Instant Pot Butter Chicken
  • Chicken Saag
  • Lemony Chicken Vegetable Soup
  • Chicken Jalfrezi
  • Marry Me Chicken
  • Chicken Vesuvio
  • Incredible Chicken Stroganoff with Mushrooms
  • Chicken Florentine Soup

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

overhead image of green mole chicken on a plate with rice and a tortilla
5 from 6 votes

Zacatecas-Style Green Mole Chicken (Pollo en Mole Verde)

Prep:15 minutes
Cook:1 hour 25 minutes
Total:1 hour 40 minutes
A bright, brilliantly flavorful green mole, chock full of garlic, cilantro, and tomatillos, with perfectly flavored and tender chicken.
Print Save Saved! Click Here to Remove Ads
4

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 4 whole chicken legs drumstick plus thigh
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro stems
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 2 garlic cloves smashed
  • 1 large white onion chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 12 cups water

For the Mole

  • 6 whole tomatillos peeled, rinsed, and chopped
  • 2 jalapeños stemmed and chopped
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 8-inch flour tortillas toasted
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil

For Serving

  • fresh cilantro
  • toasted flour tortillas
  • rice

Equipment

  • 6-quart saucepan
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • 4-quart saucepan

Instructions 

  • Place all chicken ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
  • Remove chicken from the pot, then strain the liquid through a mesh strainer and set aside 4 cups of the strained cooking liquid. Set chicken and liquid aside.
  • Make the mole by heating tomatillos and jalapeños in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, or until darkened. Transfer to a blender along with the cilantro, salt, garlic, toasted tortillas, and just one cup of the reserved cooking liquid then blend until smooth.
  • Heat avocado oil in the same saucepan over medium-high heat before adding in the tomatillo sauce and fry, stirring constantly until a thick paste forms, about 5 minutes. Whisk remaining 3 cups of cooking liquid into the sauce, then bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened.
  • Add cooked chicken into the sauce until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve warm with additional fresh cilantro, toasted tortillas, or rice.

Notes

  • Serve with fresh cilantro, toasted tortillas, and cooked rice!
 
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using ingredients listed, not including tortillas or rice for serving. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 457kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 120mg, Sodium: 3159mg, Potassium: 555mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 666IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 14g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @40aprons on social and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate Recipe Tag Me on Instagram
Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

Read more...

You may also like...

  • Shredded chicken salad on an antique metal bowl
    Shredded Chicken Salad (Costco Style)
  • Gerek chicken salad in a bowl
    Greek Chicken Salad
  • Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. ashok says

    Posted on 7/12/21 at 11:23 pm

    Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.5 stars

    Reply
    • Cheryl MalikCheryl Malik says

      Posted on 7/13/21 at 12:37 pm

      So glad you and your family loved it!

      Reply
  2. eric says

    Posted on 11/15/20 at 2:01 pm

    This is a chile verde, not a Mole!

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 12/4/20 at 5:30 pm

      Thanks for bringing that to our attention. 🙂5 stars

      Reply
  3. Jason says

    Posted on 10/18/20 at 2:05 pm

    According to your instructions, there are no onions in the final sauce. Is this correct? BTW, I’m on team Boil That Chicken!

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 12/4/20 at 5:29 pm

      That is our mistake. 🙂 There are onions in this recipe!5 stars

      Reply
  4. Terry says

    Posted on 7/22/20 at 5:35 pm

    I’m making this and I’m confused about the tortillas. In the instructions it says to add the tortillas to the blender with the tomatillos. Also in the ingredient list it says 1tsp of flour tortillas. I’m sure it’s a misprint but I need some clarification. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Cheryl MalikCheryl Malik says

      Posted on 7/22/20 at 6:49 pm

      Eek! Thank you for catching that! We had some issues moving our recipes from our old recipe cards to the new ones. It should be fixed now! And, yes, you can add the 2 toasted tortillas to the blender with the tomatillos, or you can completely leave them out.5 stars

      Reply
  5. Cheryl MalikCheryl Malik says

    Posted on 10/17/18 at 1:13 pm

    I think you’d be pleasantly surprised!5 stars

    Reply
  6. Purabi Naha | Cosmopolitan Currymania says

    Posted on 1/25/14 at 7:30 am

    This is an awesome recipe. I have never heard of mole verde before. The colour and flavour sounds so nice. Just tweeted about this. Yum!

    Reply
    • admin says

      Posted on 1/25/14 at 1:44 pm

      Thanks Purabi! It’s really so good. I actually had a green mole turkey enchilada at this Mayan restaurant in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and it was very similar now that I think about it! Red mole can be soooo heavy and almost chalky with all the blended in raisins, dried chiles, nuts, and chocolate! While I love a good rich red mole, this is so easy to put together, and quite refreshing for a more “all-the-time” dish!

      Reply
  7. dani says

    Posted on 1/24/14 at 11:55 pm

    Isn’t this more a “salsa verde” rather than a “mole”? It looks delish but mole (no matter the color) is much more involved!

    Reply
    • admin says

      Posted on 1/25/14 at 12:02 am

      It’s a Zacatecas-style mole; they vary by region. It’s much less involved than a nuts-and-chiles-style mole, that’s for sure! But I found it to be beautifully rich from the caramelization of the tomatillos.

      Reply
  8. Cristina says

    Posted on 1/24/14 at 8:24 pm

    Do you think this could be cooked in a tagine?

    Reply
    • admin says

      Posted on 1/24/14 at 8:31 pm

      Hmm.. I’m honestly not sure. I’ve never really cooked with tagines, but I would imagine you could immerse the chicken in the completed mole sauce and cook it from there in the tagine!

      Reply
  9. Melissa Belanger says

    Posted on 1/24/14 at 11:53 am

    This chicken looks beautiful. I love boiling chicken. I know that sounds weird, but I almost always boil chicken if I’m going to make a chicken salad or something because I think it makes a nice moist chicken. Anyway, I love cilantro so much. This recipe would be such a treat for me. I can’t wait to get home and give it a try!

    Reply
    • admin says

      Posted on 1/24/14 at 8:32 pm

      I’d never really boiled chicken before making this, actually! I love to poach chicken, though, for shredding, so it’s basically the same idea. I can’t wait for you to get home so you can get your hands on some more exotic ingredients!! I’m still amazed you lasted so long over there! I’d have stepped off the plane and turned right back around.. haha

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

What’s Popular?

Side view of a glass of cucumber margarita with cucumber garnish in front of a pitcher of margaritas.

Cucumber Margarita on the Rocks (By the Glass or Pitcher)

Overhead view of a fish taco bowl with mango salsa and red cabbage slaw.

Blackened Fish Taco Bowls with Mango Salsa and Cilantro-Lime Rice

Overhead view of 4 salmon fillets in a large silver saucepan with red pepper parmesan sauce.

Pan-Seared Salmon in a Creamy Red Pepper Parmesan Sauce

Close up, slightly overhead angle of apple salad in a large bowl, with whole apples in the background

Crisp Apple Salad with Raisins and Pecans

In Season

Three paleo lemon bars stacked on top of each other. A bite is missing from the corner of the lemon bar on top. Other lemon bars surround the stack, just out of focus.

Paleo Lemon Bars

Top-down, overhead view of a Crockpot-cooked marry me chicken breast with sauce atop a bed of mashed potatoes in a large white bowl.

Crockpot Marry Me Chicken

Side view of two wine glasses holding POG juice mimosas with a carafe of pog juice in the background.

POG Juice Mimosas

Overhead view of a long oval salad boat with strawberry goat cheese salad and balsamic vinaigrette.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

As seen on:

More Goodies + NO Ads!

Become a 40 Aprons Premium Member!

All the 40 Aprons content you love - now even better.

  • Member-Exclusive Recipes
  • Meal Plans & Grocery Lists
  • eBooks
  • NO ADS!
Join now

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 40 Aprons
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
1540 shares