Easy Chicken Mole

Steps

1. Add 4 quarts of water, salt, 2 bay leaves, 1 head of garlic, and 1/2 onion to a pot; bring to a boil.
2. Add 5 lbs of chicken; bring to a second boil and skim impurities.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 30 minutes until chicken is tender.
4. Remove chicken and aromatics. Strain broth and measure out 2 quarts.
5. Add Mexican chocolate to the broth and let dissolve.
6. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat; fry onion until softened; transfer to broth.
7. Fry tomato halves 1 minute per side until softened; transfer to broth.
8. Briefly fry chile ancho and New Mexico chiles (a few seconds each, do not burn); transfer to broth.
9. Fry crackers until golden (for thickening); transfer to broth.
10. Blend all broth contents with Dona Maria mole paste (optional), 3 garlic cloves, 4 allspice berries, cinnamon, and cumin seeds until smooth.
11. Shred the cooked chicken.
12. Heat the dry pot over medium heat, add blended sauce, and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously.
13. Taste for salt; adjust as needed. If too spicy, add more Mexican chocolate.
14. Add shredded chicken, mix in, and cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
15. Serve.