How to Make Enmoladas de Pollo (Mole Enchiladas)
These rich and decadent enmoladas de pollo are made with tender poached chicken stuffed into corn tortillas drenched in sweet and savory mole sauce. Serve topped with pickled red onions and a sprinkling of cotija cheese.
If you’ve only ever had enchiladas covered with red or green chile sauce you are in for a real treat! There is a whole world of enchilada-type recipes out there waiting to be explored. The technique is the same: Coat tortillas in a type of sauce, fill them, and serve them with a garnish of cheese or other toppings, but it is the sauce that switches things up.
There are enfrijoladas, which are coated in a bean sauce and entomatadas where the tortillas are drenched in a tomato sauce. The ones we are going to make today, however, are called enmoladas because the tortillas get dipped in a rich, slightly sweet mole sauce before being stuffed with chicken and rolled up. This is my Tía Haydeé’s recipe and it is roll-your-eyes-back delicious. The mole sauce is complex and nutty with just a hint of sweetness and spice. An exceptional contrast to the juicy chicken filling.
I have also made this recipe stuffed with the same potato mixture that I use in my tacos de papa, for a vegetarian spin.
WHAT IS MOLE SAUCE?
- Mole sauce is a labor of love that requires up to 30 or more ingredients, which is why it’s usually reserved for special occasions.
- There are many different variations all over Mexico but most combine warm spices such as cinnamon and cumin with dried chiles, nuts and seeds like almonds and sesame seeds, and dried fruit such as raisins.
- The finishing touch in many mole sauces is Mexican chocolate. The sauce doesn’t taste chocolatey but has a slightly sweet undertone of cocoa that rounds out the flavor and adds complexity.
This recipe uses store-bought mole paste, which significantly cuts down on the prep time. If you decide to use homemade mole sauce, try my Mole Negro recipe.
INGREDIENTS FOR ENMOLADAS
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. Prepare the chicken
- Combine the chicken, onion, celery, garlic, carrot, salt, and pepper in a large stock pot. Add enough water to cover by at least 3 inches. You will need 3 cups of chicken stock for the mole sauce so make sure you start with at least 5 cups of water if not more.
- Bring the chicken to a boil over high heat and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Make the quick pickled onions
- While the chicken is cooking, combine the thinly sliced red onions, lime juice, oregano, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss the mixture together until the salt is dissolved. Set aside to pickle while you prepare the mole enchiladas.
3. Strain the chicken stock and shred chicken
- Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool. Pour the chicken stock through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard the vegetables.
- Once chicken has cooled, remove the skin and bones from the chicken thighs and shred into bite-sized pieces.
4. Make the mole sauce
- While chicken cools, combine the mole paste, peanut butter, chocolate, and 3 cups of the reserved chicken stock to a large pot or frying pan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring with a wood spatula until smooth.
5. Prepare tortillas
- Heat a comal or dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, warm the tortillas one at a time until hot and flexible, but not crisp. Keep warm in a clean kitchen towel or tortilla warmer. PRO TIP: You can save time by heating 6 tortillas at a time in a clean kitchen towel for 45 seconds in the microwave.
- Next, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Once hot, dip the tortillas one at a time into the hot oil, just long enough to soften, about 8 seconds per side.
8. Dip in mole sauce
- Using kitchen tongs, transfer the fried tortilla to the mole sauce and coat both sides in mole.
9. Fill and fold or roll tortillas
- Roll it up! Transfer mole-covered tortilla to a plate and add about 2 tablespoons of the chicken. Roll tightly like a taquito or just simply fold the tortilla in half, covering the chicken. Repeat with remaining tortillas, sauce, and chicken.
10. Serve and enjoy
- In Mexico, enchiladas de mole are served as they are prepared, two at a time, topped with the pickled red onions and a sprinkling of cotija cheese.
- Beans and rice are classic sides for enmoladas. Try my arroz a la primavera or arroz rojo for this dish. As for the beans, my classic refried beans are always a favorite.
Enmoladas de Pollo (Mole Enchiladas with Chicken)
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN
- 1½ pounds chicken thighs bone-in 4-5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or 2 leg quarters
- 1 medium white onion halved
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 celery stalks with leaves
- 1 carrot peeled and halved
- 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 8 ounces mole poblano paste
- 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter optional
- 4 ounces Mexican chocolate
- 12 corn tortillas
GARNISHES
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 5 key limes
- ¼ teaspoon Mexican oregano crushed
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or to taste
- 5 ounces cotija cheese crumbled, panela cheese will also work
Instructions
- Add chicken, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, the 2 tablespoons of salt, and pepper to a large stock pot with enough water to cover ingredients with an additional 3 inches of water. (You will need a total of 3 cups of broth for the mole sauce.)Bring ingredients to a boil over high heat for 10 minutes. Adjust to medium heat and continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked.
- In the meantime, add onions to a small bowl and toss with juice from limes, oregano, and salt. Set aside.
- Next, remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, strain the broth through a fine-mesh metal sieve and set aside for the mole sauce.
- Add mole paste, peanut butter, chocolate and 3 cups of the chicken broth to a large heavy-bottom frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spatula, until mole paste, peanut butter, and chocolate have melted and turned into a thick sauce, for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt if necessary. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer while preparing the chicken.
- Shred chicken in a bowl and season with additional salt, if necessary.
- Heat ¾ cup of oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
- Warm tortillas on a comal or wrapped in a clean dish towel in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Using tongs, prepare mole enchiladas one at a time by carefully dipping warm tortilla into hot oil to coat on each side, just long enough to soften, 10 to 15 seconds.Drain excess oil and then dip the tortilla in mole sauce and drain excess sauce before filling the tortilla with 2 tablespoons of shredded chicken and rolling the tortillas as tightly as if making taquitos. If rolling them is a challenge, you may simply fold in half with chicken inside.
- Serve mole enchiladas topped with additional mole sauce, sliced onion, and crumbled cheese alongside rice and refried beans.
A Note from Lola
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on April 21, 2017 and updated with more clear instructions and photos on March 5, 2025.
Lola’s Cocina is a small business that earns various revenue streams. This includes sponsored posts and affiliate commissions from linked products, which I use and love, with no extra cost to readers. This income helps sustain the site.
Lola Wiarco Dweck
Lola is a Mexican-American recipe developer, writer, and cooking instructor who loves sharing her culture with the world. Growing up in California and spending summers in Mexico, Lola celebrates her family’s Mexican recipes and vibrant culture through Lola’s Cocina.
Love this!! I’m making this tomorrow 🙂
Hope it turned out delicious!
Thanks Lola. I think I have a jar of the mole, and will try the receta. Look great. Did you create this one?
Yes, it was easy to make and delicious!
Love this recipe! The combination of the chicken and the mole sauce in this form is just so delicious! The addition of the pickled onions as a garnish is great.
Yes, I find that the pickled onions is a wonderful contrast to the richness of the mole sauce.
I made mole the other day and had sauce left over. This was such a great way to repurpose the sauce and make a new meal.