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Enmoladas is an authentic Mexican dish made from juicy chicken enchiladas cooked in rich homemade mole sauce. Serve enmoladas topped with crumbled cheese, crema, and sesame seeds.
Why You’ll Love This Enmoladas Recipe
- One pan. Chicken mole enchiladas are easy to assemble, and they cook together with the sauce in one skillet.
- Authentic flavor. This recipe for enmoladas transports me back to my Mexican grandmother’s kitchen. It’s full of traditional flavors, warm spices, and comfort.
- Mole sauce. Where to begin when it comes to describing mole sauce. This authentic Mexican sauce is spicy from chilies, with a touch of sweetness from brown sugar, plus added richness from Mexican chocolate and spices. It takes a bit of effort to make it from scratch, but it’s so worth it.
What’s the Difference Between Enmoladas and Enchiladas?
Enchiladas and enmoladas are prepared the same way, with fillings wrapped up inside a corn tortilla. The difference comes down to the sauce. Traditional enchiladas use enchilada sauce, which is a simpler recipe prepared with tomatoes and chilies (like guajillo or chipotle). Meanwhile, mole sauce, the kind used for enmoladas, is a chocolate and chili sauce made from varying ingredients, and it’s richer and more complex.
If you are looking for an enchilada recipe with red sauce: Try these black bean enchiladas, avocado enchiladas or birria enchiladas. I also have a delicious enchiladas suizas recipe made with homemade tomatillo sauce.
Ingredient Notes
Mole sauce brings loads of flavor to otherwise simple ingredients in this recipe. Don’t forget to check out the recipe card below the post for the full ingredient amounts and recipe details.
- Shredded Chicken – Use shredded chicken or you can make this recipe with a rotisserie chicken from the store. Just use two forks to shred it.
- Corn Tortillas – Corn tortillas are a must for authentic flavor. My favorite brand of store-bought corn tortillas is La Tortilla Factory Yellow Corn & Wheat Tortillas.
- Cheese – The sharpness of Monterey Jack cheese pairs well with the flavors of these enmoladas. Feel free to use any melty cheese you’d prefer. Queso fresco is another popular option, or farmer’s cheese.
- Mole Sauce – For this enmoladas recipe, I use my family’s homemade mole sauce. I highly recommend that you give it a try for the most authentic flavor. You can use a jar of store-bought mole sauce, though it won’t be quite the same.
- Toppings – Traditional enmoladas toppings include toasted sesame seeds, cotija cheese, and avocado.
How to Make Enmoladas
Once your ingredients are assembled, it’s time to get started on your enmoladas. This recipe keeps things pretty straightforward. Here’s a quick look at how to make this dish:
- Warm up the tortillas. Heat the tortillas until they’re soft and pliable. This ensures they’re easy to roll up without tearing. Work in batches and keep the finished tortillas warm under foil.
- Assemble the enchiladas. Add a few spoonfuls of shredded chicken to the middle of each tortilla. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack and then roll the filling up like a taquito.
- Add the mole sauce. Add about one cup of mole sauce to a large pan. Nestle the enchiladas into the mole, and pour over the remaining sauce. Cover and heat for about 10 minutes.
- Serve. Garnish with sesame seeds, cotija cheese and crema.
Tips for Success
- To cut down on cooking time: Use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store.
- Mole sauce tends to thicken over time. If you need to thin yours out a bit, add broth or water one spoonful at a time to get it back to a pour-able consistency.
- If your corn tortillas break while rolling: This could be because they weren’t warmed for long enough. Aim to heat the tortillas on the griddle for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Want to dry a different filling? Try filling your tortillas with leftover pork carnitas, chilorio or even leftover birria meat.
- Want to make these vegetarian? Make enmoladas using these black bean and spinach enchiladas as a base.
Serving Suggestions
For an authentic Mexican lunch or dinner, serve enmoladas as is with extra corn tortillas for sopping up the leftover sauce. They’re also an easy meal with Mexican rice and a side of frijoles de la olla (my grandmother’s recipe) or refried beans.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Store in the fridge: Due to the sauce, cooked enmoladas are best enjoyed within a day or two. After that, the assembled enchiladas tend to become soggy the longer they’re stored. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat the enchiladas on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- To Make Ahead: If you’d like to get a head start on this recipe, or if you know you’ll have lots of leftovers, I recommend storing the ingredients and mole sauce separately. Store the shredded chicken airtight in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Mole sauce will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days.
- To freeze: Wait until the enmoladas completely cool and transfer them to an airtight container. Store them frozen for up to 2-3 months.
More Mexican Recipes
Enmoladas
Enmoladas is an authentic Mexican dish made from juicy chicken enchiladas cooked in rich, spicy, chocolatey homemade mole sauce. So satisfying, and so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded chicken, you can also use rotisserie chicken from the store
- 20 corn tortillas, please don't use flour tortillas
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
- 3 cups homemade mole sauce
Toppings:
- White toasted sesame seeds
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Mexican crema, or sour cream thinned with milk until you can drizzle it
- Sliced avocado
Instructions
- Heat the tortillas. Place 4-5 tortillas in a griddle or comal over low heat. Heat them for 3-4 minutes on each side or until bendy and pliable. Set them aside and repeat for all the tortillas.
- Assemble the enchiladas. Place 3-4 tablespoons of shredded chicken in the center of each tortilla. Top with a bit of Monterrey Jack cheese and roll it up like a taquito.
- Add the mole. Pour 1 cup of mole sauce into a large pan over medium-low heat. Place the filled tortillas into the mole, seam side down. Pour the remaining mole sauce on top. Let them heat for about 10 minutes. Cover the pan to avoid any splattering.
- Serve. Remove them from the heat. Serve 3-4 enchiladas on each plate. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, crumbled cotija cheese, Mexican crema, and sliced avocado to taste.
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Notes
- Use rotisserie chicken. This reduces the time needed to pre-cook and shred the chicken.
- Thin the sauce. Especially if you didn’t make the mole sauce the same day, sometimes it can thicken. Thin it down by adding 1 tablespoon of water or chicken broth at a time until you get a pourable consistency.
- Add more toppings. Chopped cilantro and diced onion are great options.
Nutrition
Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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