Easy Mole Enchiladas With Chicken

Do you want to know how to make a delicious meal of mole enchiladas with chicken? This recipe uses few ingredients, requires no baking, and is easy to follow.

plate of mole enchiladas with a sprinkle of cabbage and a dollop of sour cream

We love enchiladas at our house, of course. However, the days that we make mole enchiladas are extra special.

This enchilada recipe does not require baking. I used chicken that I cooked in my Instant Pot for this recipe, but you can use any cooked, shredded chicken, such as leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken.

You will need cooked, shredded chicken to make this recipe.

What are mole enchiladas?

Mole enchiladas are simply enchiladas prepared with a mole sauce instead or a red or green sauce. Mole enchiladas have a more complex flavor due to the smoky, sweet, nutty, and spicy ingredients that are used to make mole.

For this recipe, I used the very popular Dona Maria Mole sauce. This is sold in many grocery stores and Mexican or Latino grocery stores.

Of course, if you want to make your own mole, you can absolutely do that and use it for this recipe. However, with shredded chicken and the jarred sauce, this recipe is pretty easy to put together.

What ingredients do you need for mole enchiladas?

Fortunately, most of the ingredients that you will need to make mole enchiladas are very easy to find. You should be able to get everything to make your mole enchiladas at basically any grocery store.

To make mole enchiladas with chicken you will need:

  • Cooked, shredded chicken
  • Canola or vegetable oil
  • Dona Maria prepared mole in a jar
  • Knorr chicken bouillon or bouillon cubes
  • Tortillas
  • Chile de arbol powder (optional)
  • Garlic powder or minced fresh garlic
  • Cocoa powder (or small chocolate bar if you like sweeter mole)
  • Water or low sodium chicken broth
  • Toppings such as crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, and sliced cabbage or lettuce
Container of cabbage, cocoa powder, jarred mole, arbol powder, chicken bouillon, garlic powder, tortillas, and sour cream on a chopping block in the kitchen
You can use your preferred brand of these ingreidents

When I use the Dona Maria mole sauce, I always add a few extra ingredients to make it more of what I want my mole to taste like. I always add cocoa powder, chicken bouillon and extra garlic, and chile de arbol powder for extra spice.

You can absolutely leave out the extra chile de arbol if you don’t really like spicy food. The Dona Maria mole mix is not very spicy on its own.

Alternatively, if you love spicy food, you can add extra spice or use any other chile that you happen to have on hand.

Finally, if you don’t have Knorr chicken bouillon, you can use any brand of chicken bouillon cubes, or even chicken stock. However, if you use chicken stock, you might have to add additional salt to taste to your mole sauce.

What toppings are good for mole enchiladas?

The best part of mole enchiladas is the rich, complex mole sauce, and the second best part is the toppings. You should have a variety of toppings for everyone at your table to choose from so that way they have the plate of enchiladas that is exactly the way they like it.

We usually serve our enchiladas with sliced cabbage or lettuce, queso freso, queso cotija, sour cream, and avocado, if we have it available. I like to use sliced cabbage instead of lettuce because it holds its texture better, but many people prefer lettuce.

What is the difference between mole sauce and enchilada sauce?

Mole sauce and enchilada sauce are generally two very different sauces. Mole sauce is made with a variety of dark, smoked chile peppers as well as toasted nuts and seeds, which an enchilada sauce is usually a simpler spiced tomato-based sauce.

Mole enchiladas are traditionally a meal made after a big celebration has occurred where mole was served. When there is a big pot of leftover mole, enchiladas are an excellent way to reuse those leftovers in a new meal.

Fortunately, because we can buy mole sauce pre-prepared in the store, we don’t have to wait to have a big party to make these special enchiladas.

How do you keep tortillas from turning to mush in enchiladas?

The key to avoiding mushy, broken, or soggy tortillas in any enchilada recipe is frying them slightly in oil before using them. Before you start assembling your enchiladas, heat oil in a skillet and lightly fry all your tortillas on both sides.

The tortillas don’t need to be fried very much, just a little on each side to provide protection from the sauce that you will dip them in. This step cannot be skipped because if you don’t fry them, your tortillas will just fall apart when you put them into sauce and you will have a plate of very mushy enchiladas.

Slightly fried tortillas will hold their shape and provide texture.

Don’t fry the tortilla too much, however, or else they will be too hard to cut with a fork when you go to eat your enchiladas. Too-fried tortillas will be hard to fold, too.

Before I make enchiladas, I fry all of my tortillas and put them in a stack on a small plate. This keeps them slightly warm and ready to use.

Should you use corn or flour tortillas for mole enchiladas?

Corn tortillas are the only tortilla that should be used for mole enchiladas. You can use yellow or white corn tortillas, but flour tortillas should never be used.

Are enchiladas always baked?

Traditionally, enchiladas are not baked. The tortillas are usually fried, as I mentioned previously, and then plates of enchiladas are assembled for every individual person who will be eating.

Just because enchiladas were not typically traditionally baked in an oven does not mean that it’s wrong to bake them. Many people grew up with their mothers and grandmothers baking delicious pans of enchiladas, which is excellent.

I believe in using every tool that we have at our disposal. Including jars of mole that have already been prepared for us!

For this recipe, baking would be unnecessary because it is designed to be a no-bake mole enchilada recipe.

How to make mole enchiladas with chicken

Making mole enchiladas is very easy once you have all of your ingredients gathered and are ready to get started. Below, I will explain each step of how to make these enchiladas an provide photographs of the important moments.

Blend mole sauce in the blender (optional first step)

Open your Dona Maria mole sauce and empty the contents into the blender. When you open the jar of mole, there will probably be a little bit of oil, so be sure to pour that in to the blender, too.

If you can’t get the mole out easily, try to use a butter knife to carefully dislodged the mole from the jar and gently ease it out into the blender. Add the garlic, chile powder, bouillon powder, chocolate, and a cup or so of water to the blender and blend well.

I prefer to use the blender to mix this pre-prepared mole with my other ingredients because it is faster and neater than trying to get it to dissolve in my water or chicken stock. If you do not have a blender, you can still make this recipe, but you would need to skip these first few steps – I will write extra notes for you below.

Heat oil, “fry” mole

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over a medium-low heat. Carefully add the contents of your blender to the hot oil, and “fry” your mole for 2-3 minutes.

mole sauce and a spoon in a saucepan with oil
The mole sauce was added to oil that was in the process of heating up

You can tell when your mole is “frying” when you see it cooking on the edges where it meets the oil. The picture below is a closeup of the mole cooking in the oil.

mole frying in hot oil, with small bubbles
The oil is hot in this photo, which is why you see little bubbles indicating the mole is frying

Keep stirring the mole and letting it cook in the oil until it becomes incorporated with your mole, as shown below.

the mole is now a cohesive glob in the pan
The oil has been absorbed into the mole

Add water or broth to mole mixture

Now, add about 3 cups of water or broth to your mole mixture. Stir it gently with a whisk and cook at a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

The thickened mole sauce should be dark brown and slightly thinner than pancake batter. When the mole sauce is ready, set the sauce to the side in a safe place on the stove to be used soon.

hot, steaming mole pouring from a large spoon
If you feel like your mole is too thick, you can add 1/2 cup water

Lightly fry the tortillas

In this step, you will fry each tortilla for about 10-15 seconds on each side in a frying pan or skillet with a little bit of oil. This process is easiest to do if you have a set of kitchen tongs, but you could also use a spatula.

This step is important because it helps with texture and flavor, and helps you avoid mushy tortillas.

I would recommend counting out the tortillas that you will use before you get started, by estimating exactly how many enchiladas everyone will eat. Then, have two plates on the counter next to the stove, with one plate with the un-fried tortillas and the other plate for the fried tortillas.

grey saucepan with a lightly fried tortilla being taken off with a tong
Be sure to not fry the tortillas too much – they won’t work as well if they get cripsy

Get ready to assemble the enchiladas

For this step, prepare your workstation to assemble the enchiladas while your mole sauce is heating back up over a low heat. This process will go by quickly, so it is important to make sure that you have everything that you will need right next to the big pot of mole.

In the photograph below, I have an open container of sour cream (out of the frame), a bowl of queso fresco that I crumbled right before I started, a container of shredded cabbage, a plate of partially fried tortillas, and a bowl of shredded chicken. I also have a pair of tongs and a spoon in the mole.

You should also have a stack of plates right next to the stove for making your plates of enchiladas.

a view of the stovetop, with the hot pot of mole sauce, shredded chicken, tortillas, cabbage, crumbled cheese, ready to be used to assemble the enchiladas
Having everything prepared and ready right by the sauce saves time and is less messy!

Assemble the enchiladas

To assemble the enchiladas, put a tortilla into the mole sauce. Using your tongs or a spatula, flip it over so it gets coated with mole sauce on both sides.

tortilla being dipped into the hot mole, with other ingredients on stove in background
Let the tortilla get thoroughly coated, but don’t leave it in the sauce too long or it will start to fall apart

Remove the tortilla from the mole sauce, and place it on a plate. Then, put shredded chicken and a small amount of queso fresco in the middle of the tortilla, and fold it in half.

one tortilla dipped in mole sauce on a plate with shredded chicken and cheese in the middle of the tortilla, prior to the tortilla being folded in half
Add as little or as much cheese and chicken as you want – these are your enchiladas!

Then, fold the tortilla in half. Repeat the process with as many enchiladas that you plan to serve that person, and top all of the folded enchiladas with a spoonful of extra mole.

Then, load the top of the enchiladas up with all of the delicious things that you plan to put on them. In the photograph below, I put a generous helping of shredded cabbage, more queso fresco, and sour cream.

large, delicious plate of enchiladas with a pile of cabbage, crumbled queso fresco and sour cream on top
Fix your enchiladas up just how you like them. We didn’t have any avocados when I made it the last time, but they are delicious if you have them.

You can see how all of the tortillas are folded in half and layered to fit about 7 enchiladas on this one plate. This was an extra large serving, and if you were serving this with beans and/or rice, fewer enchiladas would fit 🙂

The final step is to enjoy this delicious plate of food you have prepared.

Easy Mole Enchiladas with Shredded Chicken

chicken-mole-big-plate
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 3 teaspoons Knorr chicken bouillon powder
  • 1 tsp chile de arbol powder
  • 1 jar Dona Maria mole
  • 20 corn tortillas
  • 3 cups shredded chicken
  • 10 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
  • water

Instructions

  1. Prior to starting, be sure that you have cooked, shredded chicken. Warm it prior to beginning this recipe.
  2. Estimate the number of enchiladas that you will serve each person at your meal. This recipe makes enough for about 20 total enchiladas, and an adult might eat 3-5.
  3. Prepare your toppings in advance, such as shredded cabbage, sour cream, and have crumbled queso fresco in a dish ready to fill the enchiladas (with extra for a topping, if desired).
  4. Heat the canola or vegetable oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan.
  5. Blend the mole, minced garlic, cocoa powder, chile powder, and chicken bouillon powder in a blender.
  6. Fry the mole in the warmed oil for 2-3 minutes, until the oil is absorbed into the mole.
  7. Add 3 cups of water or chicken stock to your mole, and stir with a whisk.
  8. Cook the mole over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until it thickens, and then remove from heat while you prepare tortillas.
  9. Fry each tortilla that you will use for about 10-15 seconds on each side in a skillet with oil, and place a in a stack on a plate to keep warm.
  10. Once all of the tortillas are ready, use a pair of tongs to dip a tortilla into the mole sauce. Then place it flat on a plate, and fill it with shredded chicken and queso freso. Fold it in half, and use the tongs to "scoot" it over on your plate to make room for more enchiladas.
  11. Follow the same process to dip another tortilla into the sauce, place it on the plate, fill it, and then fold it onto the other enchilada in a partially layered fashion.
  12. Once you are done with the enchiladas that you want to serve on this plate, spoon a little extra sauce over the enchiladas and then add toppings as desired.

Notes

  • Optional toppings include shredded cabbage, lettuce, sour cream, queso fresco, sliced onions, and avocado
  • The mole sauce stores well, so you can make as many as you want for your meal and serve the rest for leftoevers. To reheat, heat the mole in a saucepan and add a little water to reconstitute.

Nutrition Information

Yield

5

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 606Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 100mgSodium 880mgCarbohydrates 50gFiber 7gSugar 4gProtein 38g

This nutrition estimate has been automatically calculated and is only for general guideline use only.

Did you make these no-bake chicken mole enchiladas?

If you made this recipe, or if you have any questions, please let me know by leaving a comment in the discussion below.

Thanks!

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