Tacos de mole
Tacos de mole are tacos filled with meat, usually chicken, in one of Mexico's complex mole sauces. They are a regular choice at tacos de guisado stands and, in green-mole form, among basket-taco vendors in central Mexico.
Mole
The Larousse dictionary of Mexican gastronomy derives mole from the Nahuatl mulli, meaning sauce or stew, and uses the term for a large family of complex, usually thick sauces. The best known is the dark mole called mole poblano throughout the country, but Larousse stresses that moles of other colors and textures are equally authentic. It lists Oaxaca's so-called seven moles (chichilo, manchamanteles, amarillo, coloradito, colorado, negro and verde), Puebla's poblano, verde, prieto and pipián, and regional versions such as chilmole, clemole, mole de Xico and mole ranchero.
According to Larousse, pre-Hispanic peoples already prepared ground, complex sauces, which were modified over the centuries as new ingredients and techniques arrived.
In tacos
Mole is usually associated with festive plates of turkey or chicken, but leftover or batch-cooked mole is a natural taco filling. El Universal lists mole among the typical stews of the taco de guisado, where shredded or jointed chicken in mole is spooned onto a tortilla over rice. México Desconocido notes that some basket-taco vendors are known for tacos of mole verde, the green mole made with pumpkin seeds, tomatillo and herbs. Mole also fills enchiladas, tamales and molotes.
A taco de mole is typically finished with toasted sesame seeds and sometimes sliced onion. Because the sauce is rich and the tortilla soaks it up quickly, cooks often use a doubled tortilla or the rice layer typical of guisado stands.
Serving and variations
At a guisado stand the mole taco is assembled like any other: a warm tortilla or two, a spoonful of rice, a ladle of meat in sauce. Chicken is by far the most common protein, but pork and turkey also appear, and some cooks dress hard-boiled eggs or vegetables in leftover mole. Green mole, thinner and more herbal than the dark poblano style, suits basket tacos because it soaks into the tortilla as it steams. Dark moles, which are thick and sweet with chiles, nuts, seeds, spices and sometimes chocolate, are usually finished with a scatter of toasted sesame. Because moles are laborious to make from scratch, many home cooks rely on commercial pastes thinned with broth, reserving homemade versions for celebrations, and use the leftovers for tacos, enchiladas and molotes over the following days.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in chicken breasts or 4 thighs
- 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Salt
- 150 g prepared mole poblano paste
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth (from poaching)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small piece Mexican chocolate (optional)
- 12 to 24 corn tortillas
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Red rice for serving (optional)
Steps
- Poach the chicken with the onion, garlic and salt until cooked, about 25 minutes. Reserve the broth and shred the meat.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the mole paste and fry, stirring, 2 minutes.
- Whisk in broth a little at a time until the sauce coats a spoon. Add the chocolate if using and simmer 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Fold in the shredded chicken and heat through; adjust salt.
- Warm the tortillas, doubled if the sauce is thin, add rice if you like and top with chicken in mole.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
For a mole verde version, simmer the chicken in a sauce of toasted pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, green chiles and herbs such as epazote and hoja santa.
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See also
References
- "Mole". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "¿De dónde son los tacos de guisado?". El Universal. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tacos de canasta, todo lo que necesitas saber sobre esta delicia popular mexicana". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.