Chicken Mole Enchiladas – Averie Cooks

Chicken Mole Enchiladas – Lightly fried corn tortillas are stuffed with chicken, rolled up, and smothered in rich mole sauce for the best chicken mole enchiladas! A classic, Mexican-inspired family favorite comfort food recipe made FAST and EASY! A shortcut mole recipe that doctors up store bought mole is provided if you don’t want to make homemade mole. 

Chicken Mole Enchiladas Recipe

These easy chicken mole enchiladas are filled with tender chicken, smothered in richly flavored mole sauce, then topped with lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, sour cream, cilantro, and onion. 

If you like really saucy enchiladas, or if you’re like me and like food that’s generally super saucy and smothered, then these chicken enchiladas with mole, or enmoladas de mole as they’re called in Spanish, will become a fast new favorite easy recipe.

Mole sauce is one of my favorite salsas because it’s lightly sweetened and I am a sucker for anything sweet-and-savory.

I have a homemade Mole Sauce post coming in two days so check back for how to make it! I’ll give you a hint – there’s cocoa and peanut butter in mole sauce, and although you can’t directly taste them, they give such fabulous richness, depth of flavor, and a touch of sweetness. 

However, never fear! You can doctor up store bought mole to make these chicken enchiladas that everyone just loves in just 30 minutes! 

Ingredients in Chicken Enchiladas de Mole (Enmoladas de Mole)

For these incredible chicken mole enchiladas, you’ll need the following fridge and pantry ingredients:

• Vegetable oil
• Corn tortillas
• Mole (OR use store bought Dona Maria Mole Sauce + chicken broth + Abuelita chocolate + creamy peanut butter + granulated sugar)
• Shredded rotisserie chicken
• Iceberg lettuce
• Tomato
• Sour cream or Mexican crema, optional for garnishing
• Shredded cheese or queso fresco, optional for garnishing
• White onion, optional for garnishing
• Cilantro, optional for garnishing
• Avocado, optional for garnishing

Tip: I linked to the ingredients you may not heard of, but nearly all well-stocked grocery stores will have them in stock in either the Mexican section or dairy case for the crema and queso.

How to Make Chicken Enchiladas with Mole

To make chicken mole enchiladas, follow these straightforward steps and they’ll be ready in no time:

Tip: If don’t already have hot homemade mole sauce on hand, make sure to start doctoring up store bought mole sauce (see below for more info) because it needs to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Step 1: Heat the oil in a skillet, add a tortilla and cook for 10 seconds.

Flip and cook for 10 seconds more. 

Step 2: Dip the hot tortilla in mole sauce, coating both sides.

 

Step 3: Add chicken to the middle and roll up. 

Step 4: Repeat with all the remaining tortillas and then nestle them in a casserole dish. 

Step 5: Optionally drizzle extra mole over the top of the tortillas.

Step 6: Evenly sprinkle with lettuce, tomato, and any optional garnishes such as crema, queso fresco, cilantro, or avocado and serve immediately! 

Do I Need to Make Homemade Mole Sauce?

Homemade Mole Sauce is amazing! There is nothing that compares to this salsa that’s like a big warm hug, but in sauce form.

Make it if you can and have some extra time. It freezes great too so you can make extra and stash it for a rainy day as long as you’re going to the work of making it.

However, as I touched on already, you don’t have to make your scratch mole sauce for chicken mole enchiladas.

How To Make A Quick Mole Sauce for Chicken Enchiladas with Mole

You can make a quick semi-homemade mole sauce by using and doing the following:

1. Add one 8.5-ounce can Dona Maria Mole Sauce to a medium saucepan
2. Add 3 cups chicken broth
3. Add 1 tablet of Abuelita chocolate
4. Add 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
5. Add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, stir, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

This becomes your salsa de mole for the chicken enchiladas with mole.

Can I Make Vegetarian Mole Enchiladas?

If you want to make vegetarian mole enchiladas, feel free to swap out the chicken for:

Serving and Storage Suggestions for the Best Chicken Mole Enchiladas 

I like to serve my homemade chicken mole enchiladas with a side of Refried Beans, rice, a Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad, or any type of grilled vegetables or salad.

The enchiladas are best right after you make them. Hot and fresh wins! If you let them sit, the mole sauce will tend to make the tortillas a bit soggy so enjoy them right away.

These enchiladas with chicken and mole aren’t a great make-ahead dish for that reason.

Extra mole sauce when stored separately will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Tips for the Best Chicken Enchiladas de Mole

When making the chicken mole enchiladas, you need to fry the tortillas. This is because after that step, you don’t bake this recipe so the frying is necessary (despite any outcries against frying). 

That’s right – you do not need to bake the chicken enchiladas with mole. Just make sure your mole sauce and chicken are both hot and obviously the tortillas will be hot so

If you for some reason want to bake them, you can bake them at 375F for 15 minutes. However, I find that baking them can cause them to fall apart more easily so I don’t bake.

You need to use corn tortillas. I recommend using 4 to 5-inch corn tortillas. I do not recommend flour tortillas. 

Store bought shredded rotisserie chicken is my favorite option although you can make your own chicken and then shred it if you like. You can also use leftover chicken if you have quite a bit on hand.

When it comes to garnishes, more is more in my book, always. Mexican crema for me is preferred to sour cream because it’s lighter and less gloppy. You can thin out American-style sour cream with a drizzle of milk.

I like queso fresco because it’s nice and salty, light and crumbly, and just gives extra oomph to Mexican recipes like this one. However, another shredded cheese is fine, although wouldn’t be very traditional. In Mexico it’s queso fresco or nada.

For a flavor twist, you can use seasoned and cooked ground beef in the enchiladas instead of chicken. Follow the beef filling mixture recipe I use in Cheesy Beef Taquitos. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 16 small corn tortillas (4 to 5-inch diameter)
• 2 cups homemade mole, hot (OR use store bought Dona Maria Mole Sauce + chicken broth + Abuelita chocolate + creamy peanut butter + granulated sugar* See Notes)
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, warmed (or other leftover chicken)
• 2 cups shredded Iceberg lettuce
• 1 medium Roma tomato, sliced thin
• Sour cream or Mexican crema, optional for garnishing
• Shredded cheese or queso fresco, optional for garnishing
• White onion, diced small; optional for garnishing
• Cilantro, optional for garnishing
• Avocado, optional for garnishing

Instructions

1. Before beginning, if you need to make mole or doctor up store bought mole, do that now. Follow the directions in the *Notes below and set it aside.
2. To a small skillet, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat until it’s very hot.
3. Add 1 tortilla and fry for 10 seconds. Flip and fry on the other side for 10 additional seconds.
4. Using tongs, dip the tortilla in mole, flip and dip the other side, and set it on a cutting board or plate.
5. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons chicken down the center of the tortilla and either simply roll .up, or make a more traditional burrito-style “packet” by turning two opposite edges inwards about 1/2-inch, then rolling it all up.
6. Either way, place the rolled enchiladas in a casserole or baking dish or on a serving platter.
7. Repeat with the remaining 15 tortillas, or as needed or as you have chicken/mole sauce leftover.
8. If desired, drizzle the enchiladas with additional mole.
9. Evenly sprinkle the lettuce and the the tomato.
10. Add any optiona garnishes including sour cream or Mexican crema, shredded cheese or queso fresco, white onion, cilantro, or avocado as desired and serve immediately. Enchiladas are best hot and fresh. Extra mole, stored separately, will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Notes

*How to Make Mole Starting with Store Bought:

1. Add one 8.5-ounce can Dona Maria Mole Sauce to a medium saucepan
2. Add 3 cups chicken broth
3. Add 1 tablet of Abuelita chocolate
4. Add 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
5. Add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, stir, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

This becomes your salsa de mole for the chicken enchiladas with mole.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 250Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 284mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 12g

More Easy Favorite Mexican Recipes:

ALL OF MY MEXICAN RECIPES!

Mole Sauce – Making homemade mole is an act of love but worth every second because of the incredible depth of flavor! The combination of dried chiles, tomatoes, spices, cinnamon, chocolate, and peanut butter is absolute savory-sweet-smoky-slightly spicy perfection! Learn how to make traditional mole sauce that’s so authentic tasting! 

Baked Cheesy Beef Taquitos – Craving Mexican food? Make these EASY taquitos made with seasoned ground beef, melted cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, and baked to crispy perfection! Family friendly, picky-eater approved, and PERFECT for busy weeknight dinners, game day events or parties! 

Loaded Smothered Beef Burritos – Mexican comfort food that’s loaded with seasoned ground beef, refried beans, rice, and smothered with sauce and CHEESE!! Tastes BETTER than from a restaurant, freezer-friendly, and so EASY!!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas — EASY juicy enchiladas with so much flavor from the salsa verde and TONS of melted CHEESE!! Ready in 30 minutes, are made with just a handful of ingredients, and will be an instant family favorite!!

Sweet Potato, Corn & Black Bean Enchiladas (vegetarian) – Healthier comfort food that everyone will love! Fast, easy, and tastes amazing!

Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos – All the flavor of the chicken taquitos in your favorite Mexican restaurant, but healthier because these are air fried! Crispy and crunchy on the outside with a perfectly spicy chicken, cheese, and cream cheese filling mixture that just melts in your mouth! EASY, ready in 20 minutes, and the whole family will want seconds! Oven baking instructions are also provided.

Loaded Vegetarian Burritos — HEALTHY Mexican comfort food that’s loaded with black beans, rice, and more before being topped with salsa and CHEESE!! You’ll never miss the meat in these EASY burritos that you can make-ahead and are freezer-friendly!!

Easy 20-Minute Chicken Tinga Tacos – Fast, super easy, and the super juicy chicken has authentic smoky chipotle flavor! When you’re craving tacos, these are the tacos to make! Great for busy weeknights!

Ground Beef Taco Salad Bowls — Making homemade taco salad bowls is so easy and they’re perfect for holding this family-favorite taco salad including seasoned ground beef, black beans, cheese and more! Everything is topped with a creamy lime-cilantro dressing that’ll have everyone finishing their salad!

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef – Learn how to make authentic-tasting barbacoa beef in your Instant Pot or slow cooker! Easy, tastes better than a restaurant, and is a dinnertime winner!

Easy Carne Asada Tacos — EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that’s seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!!

Buffalo Chicken Burrito Bowls – Juicy chicken along with your favorite burrito ingredients served in a bowl! Pile the toppings sky high and not worry about a wrap breaking, plus it’s a little healthier! Easy and ready in 15 minutes!

Loaded Chicken Taco Salad — Fast, easy, fresh and healthy!! All your favorite taco flavors in one big kickin’ salad that everyone will love!!

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