:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Mole-Negro-with-Chicken-FT-MAG-RECIPE-1124-ea978e4695fc4abda3cfdba04c65fb53.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,1267&ssl=1 "7 Must-Try Oaxacan Recipes, From Mole to Mezcal")
“This is what always happens,” writes Copenhagen-based chef and restauranteur Rosio Sánchez in her guide to Oaxaca, Mexico. “One trip to Oaxaca necessitates the next, a deeper and more delicious dive into the culture and the cuisine.”
Oaxaca offers one of the most storied regional cuisines from one of the most storied national food traditions. It’s famous for its seven moles (negro, amarillo, verde, rojo, coloradito, chichilo, and manchamanteles — but who’s counting?). And, as Sánchez writes, “because of the region’s landscape, crisscrossed with steep mountains and sprawling plains, Oaxaca is home to some of the country’s best preserved Indigenous Zapotec foodways and native ingredients. It’s here that I first understood the roots of the foods that are so important to my culinary heritage — corn, chiles, chocolate, and, of course, mezcal.”
These recipes offer a chance to channel those foodways in your own kitchen and to whip up dizzyingly complex and utterly rewarding dishes in the process. In the end, you might find yourself planning a trip to Oaxaca.
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Mole Verde con Pollo with Corn Tortillas
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Fresh herbs give mole verde its light, vibrant character, setting it apart from Oaxaca’s other iconic moles. This version, from Mexico City–based chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, pairs tender chicken with a nutty, slightly coarse green sauce, rich with flavor and topped with a thin sheen of fat — the hallmark of a well-made mole. Warm corn tortillas are essential for scooping.
Tlayuda
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Food writer Octavio Peña captures the smoky, crunchy essence of this Oaxacan street food classic. A tlayuda layers asiento (lard that’s already been used to cook carnitas or chicharrón), beans, cheese, and savory toppings like chorizo, avocado, or carne asada on a large, charred corn tortilla that’s been toasted until crispy.
Mole Negro
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Mole negro is sometimes called “the king of moles” for the complexity of its preparation and its large number of ingredients. 2021 F&W Best New Chef Fermín Núñez of Suerte and Este in Austin has been tweaking his recipe for over a decade: “You taste everything that’s in there, and it’s not just a cloudy thing of flavors that is a little bit of sweet, a little bit of spicy,” Núñez says. “There’s a lot of layers and depth of flavor.”
Chicken in Peanut Sauce (Pollo Encacahuatado)
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Lauren Mcanelly / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali
Veteran chef Zarela Martinez — author of The Food and Life of Oaxaca, among many other cookbooks — prepares this peanut and tomato–based mole with chicken, which is typical in Oaxacan cuisine. (In Veracruz, on the other hand, it’s usually paired with pork.) The sauce also works well for enchiladas.
Queso Fundido with Mushrooms
Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelesa Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Served gooey and stretchy straight from the oven, queso fundido is made with Oaxaca cheese and then pulled apart with tortillas rather than chips. This recipe is from chef Iliana de la Vega, co-owner of Austin’s El Naranjo, which specializes in Oaxacan cuisine. (Before that, she and her husband owned a restaurant in Oaxaca.) Here, de la Vega adds tangy Gouda to the mix, as well as a traditional topping of sauteed mushrooms. A shower of rajas (poblano chiles and onions) or chorizo are other classic options.
Roasted Pork Loin with Orange-Herb Sauce
Maura McEvoy
At Casa Oaxaca, in the city of Oaxaca, chef Alejandro Ruíz Olmedo roasts suckling pigs to make this herby, citrusy dish. Here, he opts for pork loin, cooking it in fresh orange juice, rosemary, oregano, and parsley, transforming the pan drippings into a tangy, fragrant sauce.
Oaxaca Old Fashioned
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf
This is the one recipe not from Oaxaca, but it can claim some credit as an evangelist for one of the region’s most iconic products: mezcal. Created in 2007 by New York City bartender Phil Ward, this drink helped popularize the complex, smoky spirit — which now, thankfully, is much more ubiquitous. Mix up a glass with your favorite Oaxacan bottle.
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