Chicken Mole Enchiladas

This recipe for Chicken Mole Enchiladas is easy to make, yet boasts an incredible amount of flavor. It’s a healthy, satisfying and delicious Mexican recipe that everyone will go crazy for!

So, it’s the 6th of May and I’m posting a Mexican recipe. That’s a food blogger fail if I’ve ever seen one! This is basically like posting a pumpkin pie recipe on Black Friday, although maybe not quite as severe. 

I had every intention of getting this out to you last week, but then life got crazy and, well, here we are. I don’t know about you, but I’m still in the mood to eat enchiladas even if Cinco de Mayo was “so last week.” The holiday is an obvious excuse to drink margaritas and eat a gazillion tacos, but that doesn’t mean Mexican food isn’t welcome in my house every other day of the year. Once I missed my self-imposed deadline, I actually considered not posting this recipe at all, but hot damn, it’s just too delicious to keep all to myself.

I’ve been making a version of these Chicken Mole Enchiladas for many years now, so it’s only fair that I finally posted the recipe. If you’re a fan of rich, complex Mexican Mole sauces, then you’re going to be super impressed by the depth of flavor that develops in this relatively simple recipe. I say “relatively simple” because there are hundreds of different types of Mole in Mexico, and some recipes require dozens of ingredients and take days to make. This mole is pared down to use just the essentials, so it only requires about 10 ingredients and comes together in well under an hour.

I use two different types of dried chiles – ancho and pasilla – to make the mole in order to give it a more interesting flavor. That said, you can opt to use just one type if that’s easier. It then gets cooked on the stovetop for a few minutes – an essential step to help deepen the flavor.

If you’ve never used dried chiles before, don’t let them intimidate you! They’re quite forgiving and a fun ingredient to play around with once you’re comfortable. Neither of these chiles are super spicy, but it’s not a bad idea to throw on a pair of gloves when working with them. Remove the seeds, then give them a quick toast in a hot pan. Be careful, they’ll develop a bitter flavor if they burn.

The chiles get reconsituted in boiling water, then blended up with all kinds of aromatic ingredients like onions, garlic, chocolate, cinnamon and peanut butter. This insanely flavorful sauce gets mixed with shredded chicken and rolled up in corn tortillas that are thoroughly coated in – you guessed it – more mole.

Most traditional enchilada recipes call for frying each individual tortilla in oil before dipping in the mole and rolling up with chicken. I find this process to be tedious, messy and unhealthy, so I’ve streamlined it to be done in the oven instead. Simply brush the tortillas with a bit of oil, then heat until just softened. 

Bake the enchiladas for a few minutes just to set the filling and let them get nice and hot, then top with crumbled Queso Fresco, a drizzle of sour cream or Mexican crema, a few slices of avocado and plenty of fresh cilantro – if you’re into that sort of thing. 

Cinco de Mayo was yesterday, FINE. But I know you will absolutely love these Chicken Mole Enchiladas regardless of the time of year! 

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Chicken Mole Enchiladas

• Author: Nicole Gaffney (ColeyCooks.com)
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings
• Category: chicken
• Method: baked
• Cuisine: Mexican

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Description

This recipe for Chicken Mole Enchiladas is easy to make, yet boasts an incredible amount of flavor. It’s a healthy, satisfying and delicious Mexican recipe that everyone will go crazy for!

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning chicken
• freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2 corn tortillas for the mole plus 12 corn tortillas for the enchiladas (14 total)
• 6 dried pasilla or ancho chiles, or a combination (I used half and half)
• 2 medium white onions, divided 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• vegetable oil for brushing tortillas (I like grapeseed)
• queso fresco, for serving
• sour cream or Mexican crema, for serving
• cilantro, for garnish 
• avocado, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken thighs on a parchment lined sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then shred into small pieces and place in a medium bowl.
2. While the chicken cooks, place two corn tortillas in the oven, naked, directly on the rack. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
3. Preheat a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the seeds and stems from the chiles, then place them in the pan and toast for about 5-10 seconds on each side, being careful not to burn. Transfer to a bowl, then pour boiling water over top. Let soak for 15-20 minutes.  
4. In the same pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Dice one onion and add it to the pan, then saute with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a blender.
5. Drain the chiles, then add them to the blender along with the crispy tortillas, cinnamon, oregano, cloves, chicken stock, peanut butter, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
6. Blend the mixture on high speed, letting the blender run for several minutes until the mixture is very, very smooth. 
7. Pour the sauce into a large pot and bring up to a boil (be careful, it will spit). Cover, then let simmer on low for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat, then stir in chocolate until melted and fully combined.
8. Remove the peel from the the remaining onion and cut half of it into thin rounds. Set them aside, then finely dice the rest of the onion.
9. Add the diced onion and 1 cup of mole sauce to the chicken, then mix to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. 
10. Lightly brush 12 corn tortillas with vegetable oil on both sides. Place them on a sheet pan (it’s okay if they overlap a bit) and place in the oven (it should still be preheated to 375 degrees F) and bake until softened, about 5 minutes.
11. Take one tortilla and dip it into the mole to coat on both sides. Let excess drip off. Transfer to a plate, spoon a generous amount of chicken inside, then roll it up like a cigar. Place it seam-side-down in a 9×13 inch casserole dish, then repeat until you’ve used up all the chicken and tortillas. If you have any chicken remaining, stuff it into the edges of the rolled tortillas in the pan so nothing goes to waste.
12. Pour any remaining mole sauce over the enchiladas, then cover with foil and bake until hot, about 15-20 minutes.
13. Crumble queso fresco over top, drizzle with Mexican crema, garnish with reserved onion rounds, cilantro and avocado, then serve. 

Keywords: authentic, Mexican, chicken, enchiladas, mole, baked, cheese, Cinco de Mayo, gluten free