My Father in Law passed recently. He made his 92nd birthday two-weeks earlier. It was very sad to lose him but to be honest, the last few years have not been kind to him, he simply existed, partly by choice and partly by nature (use it or lose it). That’s all of our parents now and I must tell you that it feels weird being an orphan at my age, both JT and I were very close to each other’s parents. Since Dad lived in Toronto, we made arrangements close to home and our home was the hub, which proved to be a lovely distraction. Our dearest friends Paul and T drove up from Wisconsin to help us and console us. Paul had known JT’s Dad through business so there was a strong connection with him. My newly married nephew and his bride also stayed with us because they live about two and half hours from the city. The house was alive with action! My FIL would have LOVED it!
Everyone came to the city to be at his bedside—I know he would have loved that too, although he didn’t love attention, he loved the buzz of activity. He passed very peacefully during the early hours of the morning of May 28, he didn’t suffer long. That evening, everyone gathered at our home and we had a wonderful family dinner telling stories and being there for each other. We ate rotisserie chicken, a variety of store bought salads and some homemade cookies I had in the freezer (I didn’t have time to throw anything together). We had the visitation on June 2 and the service on the 3rd. At 12pm on the 2nd, I discovered that everyone was coming for dinner just prior to the service the very next day so I sprung into action and made a huge batch of chicken mole out of the leftover rotisserie chicken. Fortunately, I had tried this recipe before and got the thumbs up from JT, so it was an easy decision to make it again.
The mole sauce can be made in a slow cooker but I did it stove-top this time—I found it therapeutic to be involved in the dish, chopping, stirring and cooking. Like any saucy dish, this definitely tastes better the next day. The rotisserie chicken is an easy addition to the mole, just shred it and stir it into the cooled mole sauce, fill the corn tortillas, refrigerate overnight so the flavours can meld. It was a huge success! Everyone loved it.
JT usually orders a mole when we dine at a Mexican restaurant and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at it. Although there are many recipes handed down generations that take two to three days to make, this one can be made in about an hour. It developes the depth of flavour as it sits overnight. I would not rush it, make it a day or two ahead.
Chicken Mole Enchiladas
Makes 24 Enchiladas (15 cm or 6 inch corn tortillas)
For the original recipe, please click here.
Ingredients:
- 750 mL (3 cups) sodium-free chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 500 mL (2 cups) freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 good sized oranges)
- 30 mL (2 tbsp) EVOO
- 570 g (1 1/4 lb) sweet onions, sliced
- 55 g (about 1/2 cup) sliced almonds
- 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8 g (4 tsp) cumin seeds
- 8 g (4 tsp) coriander seeds
- 4 g dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed*
- 4 g dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed*
- 40 g (about 1/4 cup) raisins
- 4 8 cm x 1 cm (1/2-inch) strips orange peel (orange part only)
- 1.5 g (1 1/2 tsp) dried oregano
- 45 g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 g ground cinnamon (omit if using Mexican chocolate)
- Chopped fresh cilantro or green onions
- 24 corn tortillas
- 1 rotisserie chicken (or 3 left over), shredded (replace with firm tofu or beans if vegetarian)
- 200 g (2 cups) Queso de Oaxaca or Mozzarella Cheese, grated
- Crème fraîche, sour cream or yogurt as garnish
- Sriracha sauce/or chipotle mayo as garnish
Directions:
- Heat the EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) a large Dutch oven, add the sliced onions and sweat them out.
- Add the almonds and toast slightly. Add the garlic and cook until they release aroma, then add the cumin, coriander, two types of chilies (*replace with 15 mL (1 tbsp) smoked paprika if you prefer less spicy food) and cook until you can smell the spices.
- Add the raisins, orange peel, oregano, chicken stock and orange juice. Mix well. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using the dry chilis, remove them and discard.
- Add the chocolate and cinnamon (or Mexican chocolate) and stir until chocolate has completely melted. Using an emersion blender, blitz the sauce until very smooth. Cool completely. Set aside 2 cups of sauce. Stir in the cold shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Fill each corn tortilla with some chicken mole and a little cheese, tuck the rolls into an oven proof pan with the rolled end secured. Repeat until there is no more mole. Pour reserved sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- 1 hour prior to sitting down to eat, preheat oven to 350° F (177° C). Bake enchiladas for 30-40 minutes or until totally heated through (inside temperature should be around 150° F (66° C) and cheese should be melted and bubbling.
- To serve, drizzle with Crème fraîche, sour cream or yogurt and Sriracha sauce or chipotle mayo. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and/or green onions. Serve over Coconut Cauliflower Rice (recipe to come).
Notes:
- The enchiladas freeze well. You may wish to slip a piece of parchment between each enchiladas so you can easily separate them.
- *If you are concerned about the dish being too spicy, omit the dried chilis and replace them with 15 mL (1 tbsp) smoked paprika.
[…] a variation of this dip as hors d’œuvres, this salad and for the main, this pulled chicken molé AND a Dolce de Leche tiramisu (recipe to come) for dessert. It was a bit […]
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I am so sorry for the loss of your father -in-law. My thoughts are with you. What a lovely dinner too. I will make it this evening! x
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My condolences to you both.We celebrated my dad’s death with a family gathering, lots of good food and wine. He would have loved it as JT’s dad would have been thrilled to have his family toasting his life. P.S. I’d love to try your enchiladas—and your “rice” sounds amazing, too!
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I’m sorry for your loss. Mole is a fav and I’m sure this one is wonderful. GREG
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I’m so sorry to hear about JT’s father. How lovely that so many came together to honour him. And you are a trooper for hosting so many during a difficult time. I can imagine though, being busy would have helped take your mind off your significant lose. I have never had chicken mole! I must give this a try – it looks like great comfort food and I love how the sauce can be made in the slow cooker xx
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Hi Charlie, thank you so much for your condolences, having the activity at the house was certainly a nice distraction, and you know how I love to feed people. I hope you enjoy this unusual dish.
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My condolences for the passing of JT’s Dad. I’m sure that your family appreciated the good meal that you prepared.
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Thank you kindly, Karen, they certainly did.
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Sorry about the loss of your father-in-law. My dad is 95 and remarkably healthy, but I know each day is a gift. When he’s gone I’ll be an orphan too. Anyway, great dish. I’ve made mole before, but this recipe looks interesting — easier and definitely quicker than most. Must try it — thanks.
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Thank you John, you are very fortunate to have your Dad well. Thank you fo the compliment, I’ll check out your blog for the recipe.
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I’m so sorry for your family’s loss Eva. I enjoyed reading about your love and memories of your Father-in-law and found it especially endearing imagining his joy around the buzz of activity, I know exactly what you mean by that. How amazing that you found peace and relief involving yourself in this beautiful dish. I have always wanted to make a proper mole from scratch – we have not had a lot of success with resto style chicken mole (even at top Mexican eateries we find it too sweet after the first few bites) this is deliciously inspiring. I want it for breakfast. Sending loving thoughts to you and JT.
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Thank you, sweet Kelly, I always smile when I read your beautiful comments. Dad really loved the buzz and always tried to surround himself with family. His happiest times were during the Christmas holidays when JT and I and his sister, hubby and two little ones would descend on their home and stay for a few days.
It’s interesting that you say that moles can be too sweet, I didn’t mind this one but I made it to JTs taste, I would add the chocolate little by little until you find a balance. We totally had it for breakfast with a poached egg on top! I post a pic on Instagram and tag you!
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My condolences Eva, it must be a really tough time for you and JT and the family. This dish sounds superb and yes I know what you mean about the actions of stovetop cooking being therapeutic. HUGS.
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Thank you kindly Lorraine, it was nice to have a houseful of family and friends, it really helped.
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So sorry to hear about your loss, Eva. You did well with that leftover rotisserie chicken. It looks really delicious.
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Thank you very much Angie. The rotisserie chicken came in handy to feed the bunch!
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I’m sorry about your father-in-law… the age doesn’t make any difference. We always remain children.
The chicken mole sounds like an excellent idea to deal with leftovers. I have never had mole chicken in my life, but I’ve always wanted to.
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Thank you for your kind words, Sissy, we indeed remain children!
The mole was delicious and I can’t help but think my FIL would have loved it too. I’ve only tried a forkful or two from JT, he always orders it in Mexican restaurants.
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Aww Eva, I’m sorry to hear about your loss but how lucky he was to have been able to celebrate 92 years!
And if this is what you call springing into action, let me say, I am IMPRESSED woman! Bravo indeed ❤
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You always make me smile, thank you for your kind words.
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❤ ❤
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My condolences on the loss of your dad. No matter how old we are when we lose a parent, there’s that sense of being orphaned.
I have yet to make a mole sauce from scratch but the jarred version I use is ok with a bit of doctoring.
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Thank you Maria for your kind words.
I had no idea mole can be bought ready-made, I must take a look in our Mexican section next time I’m at the grocery store.
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The Dona Maria brand is not the greatest in the world (it’s sold by Amazon and pretty cheap) but it will do for now. 🙂
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I am so saddened to learn of the passing of JT’s Dad, my thoughts and prayers are with you and JT’s.
How in the world did you find the time and energy to put together a dinner and for how many? You are super amazing,
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Thank you for your kind words Norma, we appreciate them.
I need to be busy in times like those so feeding people fits right in, plus it makes me happy. You are far too kind.
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