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These chicken mole enchiladas are a unique take on a traditional Mexican dish, where the sauce is the star but you can make in it in under 2 hours.
I never need an excuse to eat some tasty Mexican food - from chicken fajita quesadillas to chicken nachos to chicken mole tacos. One of my favorite's and my wife's is chicken mole enchiladas.
No it isn't traditional mole sauce as it doesn't have nuts, but it's much quicker and still does have chocolate in it which gives a great depth of flavor. You can see my easy mole sauce in another post.
What is great about these mole enchiladas is you can easily control the spice level based off how much chili powder you like compared to how much chocolate is put in.
Why This Recipe Works
- The recipe allows for customization with different levels of spiciness, cheese choices and optional fillings like beans or vegetables.
- You can prepare the dish up to a day in advance and then bake when ready.
- They are perfect for a crowd or party.
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
- Rotisserie chicken - You don't need to spend time cooking the chicken.
- Olive oil - Used to cook the veggies.
- Veggies - Onions and garlic add aromatics while the poblano pepper adds some heat.
- Spices - Instead of using dried chilis, this is a shortcut and where most of the flavor comes from for the sauce. Just make sure the spices aren't expired.
- Flour - Helps thicken the mole sauce.
- Chicken stock - The main liquid for the sauce. Use low-sodium if possible.
- Chocolate - Included in mole sauce to add depth, richness and a subtle hint of sweetness to the complex blend of spices and chilies.
- Almond butter - The biggest shortcut to this recipe. Instead of taking the time to blanch, toast and puree some nuts, you just add some almond butter, which adds a slight nutty flavor.
- Tomato paste - Adds a rich tomato flavor to the sauce.
- Corn tortillas - What is traditionally used to encase the yummy filling and soak up the sauce.
- Cheese - You can't have enchiladas without some cheese on top which creates that gooey factor.
- Garnishes - Consider garnishes such as chopped cilantro, diced onions, sliced jalapeños or avocado slices to add freshness and texture to the dish. A dollop of sour cream or a squeeze of lime juice can also enhance the flavors.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can mix and match your ingredients. Some variations include:
- If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, you can cook 1.5 lbs fresh boneless chicken. Just heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for 4 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through.
- I like the flavor of poblano peppers, but if you want a spicier pepper, jalapeños are a good substitute.
- Chicken stock is my go-to for sauce bases, but if you want it to be vegetarian, just sub vegetable stock.
- Dark chocolate is what I use in this recipe, but semi-sweet or Mexican chocolate works too. 1-2 tablespoon of cocoa powder also works.
- I personally like the flavor of almond butter, but peanut butter is a great substitute. Or if you have nut allergies, try sunflower seed butter.
- I like the flavor of corn tortillas, but flour tortillas work just fine.
- While I use Monterey jack cheese for most Mexican dishes, pepper jack or even cheddar are good substitutes.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion, pepper, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Cook for 10 minutes then add the garlic, cooking for another minute. Stir in the chili powder and flour and cook for another couple minutes.
Gradually add the chicken stock and scrape up the bottom of the pan. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree and then stir in the chocolate, almond butter, tomato paste and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix about 1 cup of the sauce with the chicken in a bowl and set aside. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1 tortilla. Cook until pliable, about 30 seconds per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Spread ⅓ cup of the sauce to two 13x9 baking dishes. Spoon ¼ cup chicken, 1 tablespoon onion and 2 tablespoon cheese in each tortilla and place seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and turn broiler on. Broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is browned.
FAQs
Mole sauce originated in Mexico and comes in several variations of rich sauces that come in colors like yellow, red, black and even green. However, in general, they contain a combination of nuts, fruits, chilis and chocolate.
A properly done mole takes hours, sometimes even days to make. As I mentioned earlier, this mole isn't "traditional" per se, but is packed with flavor.
Chocolate is meant to counteract the heat of the spices and peppers in the mole sauce recipe. It also helps reinforce the dark, rich color of the sauce.
Traditional corn tortillas are commonly used for enchiladas, but you can also use flour tortillas if you prefer. Corn tortillas tend to hold up better to the sauce without becoming soggy.
I highly recommend it as it makes them more pliable when adding the filling and rolling. There are a few different ways you can accomplish this:
• Heat individual tortillas in skillet for 20 to 30 seconds per side
• Wrap a stack of tortillas in foil and place in 325°F oven until warm
• Moisten a paper towel and wrap stack of tortillas and place in microwave for 30 seconds or until warm
Yes. You can prepare all of the way up to baking the enchiladas and place in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just bake for 30 minutes instead.
You can also place in the freezer for 3 months and place the frozen enchiladas in the oven. You'll need to bake for an hour to cook through.
These chicken mole enchiladas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Mole Sauce Variations
With any sauce, you can vary the taste by the amount of ingredients you use. Some ways to change up the mole sauce recipe include:
- Spicier - Add another tablespoon of chili powder.
- Milder - Remove the poblano pepper. Also the more chocolate you add, the milder the sauce becomes.
- Smokier - Sub half the chili powder with chipotle powder.
- Sweeter - Add 1-2 tablespoon honey.
Serving Suggestions
These chicken mole enchiladas are great on their own, but you can always add some delicious toppings or sides. Some options include:
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the recipe turns out. What is needed is the following:
- Dutch Oven/Skillet - You need something large enough to not only cook the veggies but hold the sauce.
- Large bowl - Need a bowl to be able to mix together the chicken with the sauce.
- Baking dish - You want a 9x13 baking dish for the enchiladas.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use quality dark chocolate for the sauce. If you can find Mexican chocolate, even better.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you roll them up.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
- Make sure you don't overfill the tortillas or you won't be able to roll them up.
- Allow the enchiladas to cool slightly in the baking dish for a few minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together and makes them easier to handle.
Similar Recipes
If you’ve tried this chicken mole enchiladas recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Chicken Mole Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded
- 3 tablespoon olive oil + more for tortillas
- 2 cups white onion, chopped
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 5 tablespoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 6 tablespoon almond butter
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 16 (6 inch) Corn tortillas
- 1 lb monterey jack cheese, shredded
- fresh cilantro and avocado for serving
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoon olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, poblano pepper, oregano, cumin and cinnamon and cook for about 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
- With about 1 minute left, add garlic and combine. Mix in chili powder and flour and stir for about 2 minutes until combined. Gradually add chicken stock, whisking constantly and scraping up bits on bottom of pan. Bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use immersion blender to puree until smooth. Return saucepan to medium-high heat and stir in the chocolate, almond butter, tomato paste and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Adjust for salt if needed.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until just pliable, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas, adding oil as needed.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix 1 cup mole sauce with shredded chicken in medium bowl. Add ⅓ cup mole sauce each to two 13x9 baking dishes. Arrange 8 tortillas on work surface and spoon ¼ cup chicken, 1 tablespoon onion, and 2 tablespoon cheese in each. Roll up tortillas and arrange seam side down in on prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas in other dish.
- Top enchiladas with remaining mole sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes (30 if chilled). Remove foil and turn oven to broil. Broil for 2 minutes until cheese is bubbling and brown. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Use quality dark chocolate for the sauce. If you can find Mexican chocolate, even better.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you roll them up.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
- Make sure you don't overfill the tortillas or you won't be able to roll them up.
- Allow the enchiladas to cool slightly in the baking dish for a few minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together and makes them easier to handle.
Maggie Kuhn says
Incredible! Everyone had seconds at our family table.
Ryan says
Great to hear!