Set a large 6 to 8 quart sauce pot over medium heat. Pop the stems off all the chili peppers and shake out this as many seeds as possible.

Then toast the chili peppers in the dry sauce pot for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chili peppers with tongs and set aside.

Add all the nuts to the sauce pot. Stir and toast for 3 to 5 minutes until the nuts smell toasty.

Remove the nuts and set aside. Now toast the seeds and all whole spices in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Stir regularly to make sure they do not burn on the bottom. Remove and set aside.

Place 2 tablespoons of butter (or lard) in the sauce pot. Once melted, add in the raisins, garlic, and onions. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Then tear the bread and tortillas into small pieces and stir into the mixture. Sauté another 2 to 3 minutes to toast the bread and tortillas.

Now add all the toasted chili peppers, nuts, seeds, and spices back into the pot. Add the canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir well. Then cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Lower the heat if needed to keep at a low simmer and stir every 10 to 15 minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.

Once all the chilies are soft and the nuts are plump. Turn off the heat. Add the chocolate tablet and stir until melted.

Carefully ladle the sauce into a blender. Open the vent on the blender lid, but cover it with a towel for safety. Purée the sauce until extremely smooth. *You can use an immersion blender to keep the sauce in the sauce pot, but you’ll need to blend it much longer to make sure the Mole is very smooth.

Once the sauce is smooth, taste, then salt and pepper as needed. You can also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar if desired. If the mole has become too thick to pour, add ½ -1 cup of water. Pour the mole back into the sauce pot. Cover and allow it to rest. The longer it sits the better it will taste. *I often like to make Molé a day before using it. Cover and refrigerate.

For the Pollo con Molé: Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Once the butter has melted, sauté the chicken breasts for 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Reheat 1 ½ cups of Molé. Plate the chicken breasts. Pour hot Molé over the top and sprinkle with shredded Oaxaca cheese. You can garnish with cilantro if you like.