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 for a satisfying family meal.
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Enmoladas, also called chicken mole enchiladas, is a traditional recipe made from corn tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken and cooked in rich and chocolatey Mexican mole sauce. If the thought of chocolate in a savory sauce sounds a bit “out there” to you, trust me. You’ll be blown away by the combination of spicy, earthy, smoky and aromatic flavors. Mole enchiladas are really something special.
If you’re just getting acquainted with Mexican cooking, enmoladas are an easy meal that you can make using homemade mole sauce (highly recommended), or store-bought sauce in a pinch. These saucy enchiladas are wonderful loaded up with your favorite toppings for a flavor-filled Mexican dinner.
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 black bean enchiladas, avocado enchiladas or birria enchiladas. I also have a delicious enchiladas suizas recipe made with homemade tomatillo sauce.
What Is Mole Sauce?
Mole, from the Nahuatl word mōlli, means “sauce” and it’s used to describe a number of traditional sauces in Mexican cooking. Depending on the region, different recipes have different flavors and ingredients. Most mole sauces include some variation of dried chilies (like guajillo and ancho), seeds, cacao, and spices. The flavors are spicy, sweet, earthy, a bit smoky, and totally unique.
Ingredients You’ll Need
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 – I almost always have a stash of shredded chicken in the freezer. It’s easy to make using the Instant Pot, oven, or slow cooker. You can also make this recipe with a rotisserie chicken from the store. Just use two forks to shred it.
- Corn Tortillas – Use homemade corn tortillas or your preferred brand of store-bought. Whatever you do, please don’t use flour tortillas to make enmoladas. Corn tortillas are a must for authentic enchilada 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 (linked above and in the recipe card). I highly recommend that you give it a try for the most authentic flavor. Alternatively, 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. But there are many ways that you can make these your own. See the sections later in the post for topping and serving suggestions.
How to Make Enmoladas
Once your ingredients are assembled, it’s time to get started on your enmoladas. This recipe keeps things pretty straightforward:
- Warm up the tortillas. First, you’ll heat the tortillas in a griddle or comal 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. Once your tortillas are warmed, 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. To a large pan on the stovetop, add about one cup of mole sauce. Nestle the enchiladas into the mole, and pour over the remaining sauce. Lastly, cover and heat the enmoladas for about 10 minutes.
- Serve. Dish up your enmoladas and garnish with sesame seeds, cotija cheese, crema, and more of your favorite toppings. See further on for ideas.
Tips for the Best Enmoladas
Below are some tips and variation ideas that I picked up while testing this recipe, that you might find helpful:
- 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 pourable 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.
- To enhance the flavor of store-bought mole sauce, add a little Mexican hot chocolate (like Ibarra brand), as much to taste.
- Try a different filling. These chicken mole enchiladas are classic, but you can absolutely adapt this recipe with your choice of protein. Try filling your tortillas with leftover pork carnitas or make a variation with birria meat.
- For a vegetarian version, try making enmoladas using these black bean and spinach enchiladas as a base.
Enmoladas Toppings
Enmoladas are tasty just as they are, but it’s hard to resist taking this Mexican dish over the top with garnishes and add-ons. Here are some easy ideas that you can try:
- Add a sprinkle of white toasted sesame seeds for crunch.
- Crumble on some cotija cheese (or another crumbly cheese variety, like feta cheese).
- Drizzle over Mexican crema. If you don’t have crema, an easy substitute is sour cream thinned with a bit of milk.
- Top with sliced avocado or homemade guacamole.
- To add more spice, add a drizzle of my authentic salsa macha, also called black magic oil, made with chilies.
- Top your enmoladas with pico de gallo salsa or tomato salsa.
- Add chopped herbs, like cilantro or diced onion.
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. Round out your feast with other favorites like crispy beef birria flautas, carne asada tacos dorados, and totopos with peach salsa.
Of course, when the occasion calls for it, nothing washes down a spicy enmolada better than a homemade blood orange margarita or mango mojito. And for dessert, try a platter of Mexican peanut candy or a refreshing slice of carlota de limón.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To store. 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.
- 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.
- Freeze. To freeze cooked enmoladas, wait until they’re completely cool and transfer them to an airtight container. Store them frozen for up to 2-3 months.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes
Enmoladas (Chicken Mole Enchiladas)
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.
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
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