Mexican Mole Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican food has always been in my comfort zone. I can whip up a batch of margaritas, guacamole, and pico de gallo in my sleep. We have tacos once a week, and nachos are 100% adequate for lunch. There's one dish I always order out at restaurants (my favorites are from El Corazon in Portland's West End) and never make at home... Mole Enchiladas.

The traditional Mexican sauce, a blend of nuts, spices, chiles, and cocoa, is both magical and incredibly daunting. I've heard stories of how it's made in Mexico... it takes all day (sometimes several days), over 20 ingredients, everything is toasted and ground by hand, no two sauces are the same, etc.

This recipe using our Mexican Mole Spice Blend allows you to make a delicious batch in one evening. To quote my husband as he went back for his third -- "These are outstanding, and I'm not even a mole guy". Enjoy!!

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons SKORDO Mexican Mole Spice Blend
• To Taste kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Mole:

• 4 ounces dried Ancho Chile Peppers
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 3 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons SKORDO Mexican Mole Spice Blend
• 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Enchiladas:

• Olive oil, as needed
• 15 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup queso fresco or mild Feta
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Some of our Mole Enchilada ingredients 

Directions:

1. Cook the chicken. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Mexican Mole Spice Blend.  Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool, then shred into small bite-sized pieces. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

2. Prepare the mole sauce.

Reconstitute the dried Ancho chiles by soaking them in 1 1/2 cups hot water for 15 minutes. Drain, remove stems and seeds and set aside.

Dried ancho chile peppers, rehydrating 

Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet until dry, crisp and golden and set aside. In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a blender with the chiles, tortillas, peanut butter, salt, and Mexican Mole Spice Blend. Pour the chicken stock over and blend until very smooth. Then transfer the sauce to a medium saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. Taste and season the mole with salt and pepper as needed. Reserve 1 cup of mole for topping the enchiladas, the rest will be used for dipping the tortillas. 

3. Assemble the enchiladas.

Fill a medium saute pan half way with oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, dip 1 tortilla at a time and fry just until soft and heated through, about 10 seconds. Tip: Don't rush this part, frying the tortillas will help their structural integrity. Lift out, let the excess oil drip off and then dip the fried tortilla directly into the warm mole (which should be right next to the pan for easy dipping) and transfer to a plate. Put 1/3 cup of the shredded chicken in the center, roll the tortilla to enclose the filling, and place in a serving dish seam-side down. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and place them side-by-side. Pour the reserved mole over the top.*

4. Bake and top the enchiladas.

Bake at 350 degrees F until sauce is bubbly and enchiladas are heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Top with sour cream, queso, and cilantro.

*To store and/or make ahead, wrap tightly and freeze after step 3. Freeze for up to 3 weeks at this stage.

Enjoy!