Chicken Mole Enchiladas

Have you had mole (mo-lay) before?? If yes, you know it’s magic. If no, the list of ingredients might make you raise an eyebrow. This traditional Mexican sauce is dark and silky, overflowing with amazing and complex savory flavors anchored by chilies, aromatics and cocoa. It is the ultimate savory sauce partially because of it’s laundry list of ingredients that add so many layers of flavor.

Mole takes a loooong time to make, and the ingredient list alone might make you walk away before even diving in to make it. The sauce here aims to bring you the incredible flavors of mole, but with much, much less time and ingredients reduced to just the necessary. To be safe, let’s call this mole-style sauce to not upset traditionalists. I do think though that this sauce gets you pretty close to the amazing mole experience, but with a very approachable preparation. While there is a still a longish list of ingredients for this recipe, they are mostly simple pantry staples and you will be surprised how fast this all comes together once you start cooking.

This velvety ‘mole’ blankets tortillas stuffed and rolled with a protein loaded mixture of chicken and spiced sauteed veggies. Then, it gets topped off with creamy avocado and punchy pickled red onions to balance out the richer flavors of these enchiladas. This entire dish was designed to pack in as much flavor as possible, while keeping nutrition balanced to provide you an amazing plate of fuel. Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Mole Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce

2 tbs. vegetable oil

2 tbs. flour

1 tbs. chili powder

1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1-1/4 tsp. flaky salt

1 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. dried oregano

⅛ tsp. cinnamon

2 tbs. tomato paste

1 tbs. creamy peanut butter

1-3/4 cups water

4 tsp. cocoa powder

2 tsp cider vinegar

6 each 8” tortillas, whole wheat if available

1/2 cup shredded meltable cheese, like cheddar or mozzarella

Chopped cilantro

Toasted sesame seeds if desired

Lime slices

Makes 3 servings

Pickled Red Onions

¼ cup cider vinegar

½ cup warm water

1 tsp. flaky salt

1-1/2 tsp. sugar

½ red onion, thinly sliced

Filling

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 cup bell pepper, small diced (~ 1 pepper)

1 cup onion, small diced (~ ½ onion)

4 garlic cloves, rough chopped

1 pound lean ground chicken

Salt and pepper (about ¼ tsp. each)

½ tsp. cumin

First, make the pickled red onions: Place vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to dissolve solids. Add onions and submerge. Let pickle while the enchiladas are prepared.

Then, get started on the filling: Heat a saute pan on medium-high heat. When hot add 1 tsp. of the oil, peppers and onion. Saute 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Slide veggies to the side of the pan. Add the remaining 1 tsp. oil to the clear side of the pan and place ground meat on top. Do not move around, but instead let sear well for about 3 minutes. When golden on the bottom, start to break up with a spoon or spatula. Season with the cumin, salt and pepper. 

After the meat is done, or while cooking, make the enchilada sauce: In a bowl, combine the flour, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, pepper, onion powder, oregano, and cinnamon. Heat a saucepan on medium heat. When hot add the oil and spiced flour mixture. Whisk vigorously until mixture smells very fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in the tomato paste and peanut butter. Add the water very slowly, whisking out lumps after each small addition. Whisk in the cocoa powder and vinegar. Increase heat to bring to a simmer and cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reserve.

Assemble: Heat oven to 500°F. Spread about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9”x13” baking dish. Place a tortilla on a plate and spoon on 1/6 of the chicken mixture. Roll up tightly and place in the baking dish with the seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top and spread out a little. Sprinkle on the cheese and bake for 10 minutes, until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling.

Serve enchiladas with lime slices, pickled red onions, avocado, a sprinkle of cilantro, and sesame seeds.

Notes: Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge. Other ground meats or even crumbled tofu can be substituted for the ground chicken. Alternatively, pulled chicken can be used instead of ground. Just sauté the veggies and mix with the pre-cooked pulled chicken. You can make this nut free by omitting the peanut butter, but a little flavor layer will be lost from the sauce.