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up close of serving chicken mole enchiladas on a plate with salsa and cotija cheese
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Chicken Mole Enchiladas

These Chicken Mole Enchiladas are restaurant delicious, exploding with authentic Mexican flavor and destined to become a new family favorite! Warm, pan-fried corn tortillas are stuffed with juicy Chicken Mole, tangy sour cream and buttery Monterrey Jack cheese, rolled and tucked into a pan, then blanketed with a rich, sweet, spicy, smoky, fruity, velvety mole sauce, sprinkled with more cheese, then baked to crispy-gooey cheesy perfection. This chicken enchilada recipe is always a crowd-pleaser, can be prepped in the morning and baked at night, made in mass quantities, and/or frozen for later for the ultimate make-ahead dinner. It also makes terrific leftovers – even with eggs for breakfast! 
Course Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

ENCHILADAS

  • 1 recipe Chicken Mole (Click "Chicken Mole" for the recipe. You will use 3 ½ cups chicken plus 2 1/2 cups sauce)
  • 1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt, more or less to taste
  • 3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, divided
  • 10-12 quality corn tortillas (like La Tortilla Factory)

Pineapple Pico de Gallo (optional)

  • 2 cups chopped pineapple
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 cup diced white onion
  • 3/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, minced
  • 1-2 jalapenos, seeded, deveined, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • CHICKEN MOLE: Prepare Chicken Mole according to recipe directions (click HERE for the recipe). I suggest doing this a day ahead of time. You can also make the Pineapple Pico de Gallo up to a day ahead, refrigerate, then drain off excess juices before serving.
  • PINEAPPLE PICO DE GALLO: Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When ready to serve, taste and add additional lime juice, salt and pepper if desired.
  • FLASH FRY TORTILLAS (optional, but highly recommended – see microwave option in notes): Preheat oven to 350°F. Add enough canola or vegetable oil to a cast iron/medium skillet so it covers the bottom and heat over medium-high heat. Working with one tortilla at a time, lightly fry for about 10 seconds on each side, just until soft with a few bubbles but not brown or crisp. Repeat with all tortillas, stacking fried tortillas in between damp paper towels so they stay super pliable.
  • COMBINE: Add 3 1/2 cups Chicken Mole to a large bowl and stir in 2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese.
  • ASSEMBLE: Spread ½ cup Mole Sauce on the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish (layer will be very thin). Spread about 1/2 tablespoon sour cream in the middle of each tortilla (or more if you like!) then top with a generous amount of filling (about ⅓ cup). Roll up each tortilla and place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. **If you don't use thick tortillas, you may need to dip tortillas in Mole Sauce before filling so they don't tear.** Top enchiladas evenly with about 2 cups Mole Sauce followed by remaining 1 cup cheese.
  • BAKE: Cover tightly with foil and bake enchiladas at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted.  Serve with Pineapple Pico or sprinkle with chopped cilantro and other desired toppings.

Video

Notes

  • How to Microwave Tortillas:  Flash frying the tortillas gives them texture, prevents them from tearing and enhances the flavor. You can microwave the tortillas instead but it’s not as foolproof. To microwave corn tortillas, work in 2 batches. Place 6 tortillas on a microwave safe plate, cover with a moist paper towel and microwave 40 to 60 seconds so they are warm and pliable. Fill and roll tortillas while they’re still warm then repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Storage: Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  
  • To freeze: Assemble, wrap tightly in a couple layers of plastic wrap followed by foil; freeze for up to three months.  Let enchiladas thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or completely heated through.  Alternatively, bake enchiladas from frozen at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Meal Prep

You can prep the recipe completely ahead of time, or in stages:  
  • Completely assembled: Assemble, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  When ready to cook, add an additional 15 minutes to the baking time.
  • Chicken Mole: can be made and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Filling: mix the cheese and Chicken Mole together and refrigerate.
  • Flash fry tortillas. flash fry the tortillas then store them in an airtight container. When ready to use, wrap a stack in damp paper towels or a clean kitchen cloth and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Fill and roll tortillas while they’re still warm then repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Salsa and toppings: make the salsa or prepare other toppings and refrigerate until ready to use.