Chicken Mole Enchiladas

These chicken enchiladas feature an easy, no-cook mole sauce for a delicious twist on enchiladas, and a fast and flavorful weeknight meal.

Mexican food is one of my most-cooked cuisines (blame it on all those years spent in Cali!). From tacos and burritos to classic dips like my guacamole, I can’t get enough. I’m also a huge fan of having staple recipes—familiar favorites that I can pull out of my back pocket for dinner most nights. These chicken enchiladas with mole are a hybrid of one of my go-to recipes to cook (enchiladas) with a twist (mole sauce!). It’s an approachable recipe, but with the addition of just two ingredients to regular red enchilada sauce, this recipe gets serious brownie points for uniqueness.

Why You’ll Love It

• These chicken enchiladas are so flavorful and filling, and great for a hungry family, with plenty of leftovers
• A rich and complex but easy-to-make homemade mole sauce is such a game-changer for these chicken enchiladas
• All you need to know about these babies is how to use a blender and an oven, and how to roll with the best of them

What is Mole Sauce?

Mole (meaning “sauce” in the Nahuatl language), dates back to Mexico’s Aztec empire, originating from what is now the country’s largest indigenous group—the Nahua people. There are several varieties of mole sauce, and you can read about them here if you’re curious. They all have varying degrees of heat, but most mole sauce recipes consist of a blend of dried chiles, dried fruit, seeds, nuts, spices like cumin and cinnamon, and dark chocolate for its trademark deep, warm, and earthy flavors.

However, we’re taking the easier route, without sacrificing flavor. This mole sauce is jazzed up with chocolate, peanut butter, and cinnamon. Yes, peanut butter sounds like a super weird ingredient addition, but the sweetness mellows the earthy spices of the enchilada sauce. The result is a complex, well-rounded flavor from simple ingredients, that is ready in 12 minutes. And that includes 10 minutes to soak the chiles. Not bad, eh?

What’s in These Chicken Enchiladas?

These chicken enchiladas have two main components: the chicken enchiladas and the homemade mole sauce. To make the Mexican chicken enchiladas, you’ll need:

• Flour tortillas—I prefer flour tortillas (more on that below) but use corn if you prefer. If you do, be sure to read my note on that below as well
• Shredded chicken—I use storebought rotisserie chicken for ease, but you could also cook a chicken breast and shred it
• Yellow onion—for adding flavor to the enchiladas (I add them raw, to the enchilada filling mixture)
• Shredded cheese—such as Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar, or a Mexican cheese blend
• Toppings of choice—I top mine with fresh avocado, green onions, parsley, and cotija cheese

And for the mole sauce ingredients, you’ll need:

• Hot water—hot water is necessary for moistening the dried chiles, making it easier to blend into a creamy sauce
• Ancho chiles—these dried poblano peppers are slightly fruity and smoky, with a mild to medium heat level
• Sweet onion—these get blended up in the enchilada sauce
• Fire-roasted tomatoes—this is the base of my red enchilada sauce
• Garlic—for a nice savory flavor
• Honey—for just a touch of sweetness to round everything out
• Kosher salt—always for flavor
• Chocolate chips—I use semisweet but you can use bittersweet if you prefer (either way, don’t skip this crucial ingredient!)
• Creamy peanut butter—this may seem like an unusual addition to mole sauce, but I promise you it’s an important one! The peanut butter lends a mellow sweetness that balances out the sauce.
• Ground cinnamon—a staple spice in mole sauce that adds warmth and depth of flavor

How to Make These Chicken Enchiladas

• Make the homemade mole sauce. Let the chiles soak in hot water for 10 minutes, then add the remaining enchilada sauce ingredients to a blender and whiz until smooth—no need to cook!
• Assemble and roll the chicken enchiladas. First I add a generous amount of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. I add a little bit of onion shredded chicken and cheese, and a bit of sauce to the middle of each enchilada. Then I roll those babies up and place them seam-side down in the baking dish.
•  Top and bake. I add more sauce on top of my rolled enchiladas, then top them with plenty of cheese. Bake the chicken enchiladas until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Topping Ideas for Chicken Enchiladas

• Cotija cheese or queso fresco
• Green onions
• Fresh cilantro
• Avocado
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Pico de gallo

Do Enchiladas Taste Better with Corn or Flour Tortillas?

For all the purist enchilada lovers out there, I do realize that enchiladas use corn tortillas instead of flour. And that they usually dunk those tortillas in oil before rolling. However, since my family prefers flour tortillas over corn, I decided to share our favorite version here.

If you prefer corn tortillas, both yellow and white corn work equally well, but you will want to give them a quick fry first. This makes the tortillas more pliable and less likely to tear. Prepare a skillet with about 1 cup of canola oil over medium-high heat and quickly fry the tortillas one at a time for about 10 seconds, then drain on a paper towel. Don’t let them get too crisped or they’ll be too stiff to roll).

More FAQ and Recipe Tips

• What is typically in an enchilada? Meat (and/or beans), veggies, cheese, and sauce are the usual suspects
• What is the secret to good enchiladas? If you ask me, it’s all about the homemade enchilada sauce, and this one is easy and authentic (and made even more delicious as a mole sauce)
• Do you put sauce on enchiladas before or after baking? Both! I like spreading sauce on the bottom of my baking dish, adding it to the enchiladas, and also topping them with more sauce before baking.
• I made my chicken in the Instant Pot multi-cooker, but rotisserie chicken, baked chicken breast, or meal-prepped chicken is the way to go here.
• To cook the chicken in the Instant Pot, add 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts to the insert of a 6 quart Instant Pot with 1 cup water, ½ onion cut into quarters, and 2 cloves garlic with a healthy dose of kosher salt. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes, and Bob’s your uncle.
• Make vegetarian enchiladas if you like. Simply leave out the chicken. You could also add black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, roasted cauliflower, and/or tofu.

Storage Tips

• Note that the mole sauce freezes incredibly well, so you may want to make a double batch just to have it on hand whenever an enchilada craving strikes.
• You can make these chicken enchiladas ahead, or at least meal prep the ingredients so you’re ready to go. The mole enchiladas can be prepped ahead and refrigerated for 3 days before baking.
• Alternatively, you can prep them and freeze them before baking. Wrap them tightly with plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook from frozen: Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, tented with aluminum foil, then another 10 minutes uncovered.
• These chicken enchiladas can also be frozen after you’ve baked them (store them in a freezer-safe container) for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, be sure to let them thaw in the fridge overnight, or longer.

What to Serve With Enchiladas

• Pico de Gallo
• Pickled Jalapeños
• THE BEST Refried Beans
• Creamy Avocado Salsa Verde
• Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
• Easy Mexican Coleslaw Recipe
• Mango Margarita with Chile Salt and Lime
• Tomato Avocado Cucumber and Maui Onion Salad
• Guacamole with Roasted Garlic and Pickled Jalapeño

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.80 from 24 votes

Chicken Enchiladas With Mole

This super easy, no-cook, homemade mole sauce is made from scratch, and gives regular chicken enchiladas a delicious twist for a super fast Mexican dinner to meal prep or even throw together for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Print SaveSaved!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword chicken, enchiladas

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 1412kcal

Ingredients 

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For the Mole Sauce:

• 2 cups hot water
• 4 dried Ancho chiles , stemmed and deseeded
• ¾ sweet onion , roughly chopped
• 1 15- ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic , smashed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips , melted
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To Assemble the Enchiladas:

• 8 to 10 6- inch flour tortillas
• 3 cups shredded chicken
• ½ yellow onion , diced
• 2-3 cups shredded cheese , such as cheddar or Monterey Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend
• 3 cups mole sauce

For Garnish (Optional):

• Avocado
• Chopped green onion
• Cilantro
• Cotija cheese

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

For the Mole Sauce:

• In a high-powered blender, add the hot water and submerge the chiles in the water. Let sit for 10 minutes to soften.
• Add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, honey, and kosher salt and blend on high until smooth.
• Then, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and cinnamon and blend for 30 seconds to one minute.

To Make the Enchiladas:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a 9x12-inch baking dish, add 1 cup of the mole sauce, tilting the dish to evenly coat the bottom of the dish.
• Fill each tortilla with ¼ cup shredded cheese and ⅓ cup of the chicken. Drizzle with more mole sauce and sprinkle with the chopped onion. Roll the enchilada and place the seam-side down in the baking dish.
• Repeat and place the enchiladas snugly against one another.
• Pour 1 ½ cups of the sauce over the center of the enchiladas and top with more shredded cheese.
• Tent with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
• Remove the aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Garnish with the chopped avocado, onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese if desired.

Notes

• These mole sauce chicken enchiladas can be prepped ahead and refrigerated for 3 days before baking, or wrap tightly with plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To cook from frozen, bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, tented with aluminum foil, then another 10 minutes uncovered.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1412kcal | Carbohydrates: 175g | Protein: 67g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 3835mg | Potassium: 1538mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 10146IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 636mg | Iron: 14mg

More Easy Mexican Recipes to Make

• Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
• Chicken Taquitos
• Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce
• Slow Cooker Smoky Pulled Pork Tacos
• Just Like Taco Bell Tacos

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