Make the mole paste Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chiles on a large baking sheet. Bake until black and crispy (almost like ash), 10 to 12 minutes. (You know it’s right when there is light smoke coming from the oven.) Transfer chiles to a medium bowl; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium; add almonds, and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add peanuts and pecans; cook, stirring often, until toasted to a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer nuts to a small bowl, and let cool; set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet, and heat over medium until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add thyme and bay leaf; cook, stirring often, until bloomed and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a separate medium bowl; set aside.

In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium until shimmering; add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic-ginger mixture. Wipe skillet clean. Add prunes to skillet; cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until blistered in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic-ginger mixture. Wipe skillet clean. Add raisins to skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until raisins are plump and charred in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic-ginger mixture.

Wipe skillet clean. Add cinnamon stick, sesame seeds, anise seeds, and allspice to skillet. Cook over medium, stirring often, until fragrant and sesame seeds are toasted, about 2 minutes. Set aside, and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, and crush until finely ground; set aside.

Transfer nut mixture to bowl of a food processor. Break toasted chiles into small pieces, and add to food processor. Pulse until finely ground, about 12 pulses. Add ground cinnamon mixture and garlic-ginger mixture; pulse until mixture becomes crumbly, about 10 pulses. Add 1 cup water; process until mixture forms a smooth paste, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium until shimmering. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until tomato paste is dark red, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in chile paste until well combined. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of Dutch oven to release any browned bits, until a very thick paste forms and mixture darkens, about 30 minutes.

Stir in chocolate, and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and well combined, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook over low, stirring often, until chocolate flavor melds and mixture is very dark and crumbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let paste cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Make the Mole Sauce Set a Dutch oven over medium-high, and add mole paste. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth and well combined. Cook, stirring often, until mole sauce is warmed through and thick like gravy, about 5 minutes.