Chicken Mole Enchilada Pie
Chicken Mole Enchilada Pie is a cheesy enchilada pie made with layers of chicken, cheese, corn, beans, and a homemade rich mole sauce.
I love posting Mexican recipes for Taco Tuesday! But any day of the week, we love a good Mexican-inspired recipe, whether tacos, tostadas, or enchiladas. But today we’re sharing a delicious Chicken Mole Enchilada Pie. [Try my Taco Tuesday Chicken Taco Bowl Board for a large group.]
Chicken Mole Enchilada Pie
Enchilada pies were one of my go-to weeknight recipes when my kids were in high school. Pre-making the Tomato Chipotle Mole sauce on the weekend makes assembling this on a weeknight a breeze. You may also want to try this 45-minute Easy Tortilla Chicken Pie recipe that is super popular on our blog!
Sauce shortcut – use 3 cups of pre-made mole sauce
The sauce for this Chicken Mole Enchilada Pie is delicious, with the super simple chicken, corn, and bean filling, too. If you don’t have time to make the sauce, no problem!
TIP: Simply use 3 cups of pre-made sauce to save time, and skip the homemade recipe (but the homemade recipe is fantastic!)
What is mole?
While there are many mole origin stories, it is said that it originated from the Aztec peoples in what is now Southern Mexico. Originally called “mulli” in the Nahuatl language (meaning sauce), there are countless varieties found throughout Mexico today. Depending on their ingredients, there are many different mole flavors and colors, like yellow, red, green, and even pink!
This recipe is not traditional, but uses many of the same components and techniques, which is why I classify it as a mole. The entire enchilada pie dish itself is Tex-Mex cuisine, not a classic Mexican recipe.
Ingredients for mole sauce for chicken enchilada pie:
- Garlic
- White onion
- Jalapeno
- Whole, peeled tomatoes
- Diced tomatoes
- Raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Chicken stock or water
- Brown sugar or honey
- Cinnamon + cumin + black pepper
- Chipotle peppers
- Animal crackers, or other sweet, dry, cracker
- Mexican cheese blend
Can you freeze the mole sauce?
For this recipe, it makes extra, so you can freeze the rest to make another pie when I need (or just regular enchiladas). I love the smoky flavor of the chipotles in the sauce, that go so well with tomato and earthy spices.
For the tortilla pie, use these ingredients for a chicken filling:
- Oil
- Yellow onion
- Tomato paste
- Corn
- Rotisserie chicken
- Kidney beans
- Dried oregano
- Flour tortillas
Remove from the oven
Pull out your springform pan for this amazing recipe!
After baking, allow to cool and to set and firm up before removing the collar and cutting into the pie.
TIPS & substitutions:
- Pepitas are used to thicken and add flavor to the mole. However, if you don’t have any, you can omit them.
- As mentioned above, the sauce makes enough for two pies (or enough to make a recipe of regular enchiladas). Half of the recipe can be frozen for up to six months, or you can halve the recipe so you don’t have leftovers.
- Chipotles can be a little spicy, so if needed, just use one pepper, and add an extra tablespoon of chipotles sauce from the can.
- Freeze leftover canned chipotles in a plastic bag and cut off pieces as needed (I do the same for canned tomato paste!)
- This red mole makes extra sauce that I like to freeze and thaw when I need to use it. The extra sauce can also be used on tacos, warmed and drizzled over eggs (so good in chilaquiles!), used to dress sautéed spinach or other vegetables, and so much more.
- Looking for a 20 minute mole sauce? My friend Ali has a quick recipe.
- If you don’t have time to make your own sauce, just use three cups pre-made enchilada sauce.
- Fitting the tortillas in the pan may require some to be torn in half to cover any gaps, kind of like a lasagna.
- To make this vegetarian, add one to two more cans of beans: black, pinto, or more kidney beans.
How to serve Chicken Mole Enchilada Pie
Now for the best part–how do you serve this pie?
Remove from the oven and allow to cool, so it firms up before removing the collar of the pan, and cutting into it.
The enchilada pie is moist, flavorful and saucy by itself, but if desired, serve with sour cream, cilantro, and pickled red onion.
ENJOY!
More chicken pie recipes:
Chicken Pot Pie with Cheesy Drop Biscuits
Get the Recipe:
Chicken Mole Enchilada Pie
Ingredients
Tomato and Chipotle Mole
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- ½ white onion, peeled
- 1 jalapeno, optional
- 1 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- ⅓ c raw pepitas, pumpkin seeds—optional
- ¾ c chicken stock or water
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 canned chipotle peppers, plus 1 Tbsp sauce
- 5 animal crackers, or other sweet, dry, cracker
For the Tortilla Pie
Chicken Filling:
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste, optional
- 1 14 oz can of corn, drained
- 4 c shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 14 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 8 flour tortillas
- 2 ½ cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded
Instructions
Make the mole sauce:
- On a sheet tray, add the garlic, white onion, and jalapeño. Set broiler to high and blister, flipping once. Broil 2-3 minutes per side for the garlic, 5 minutes per side for the onions and jalapeño. Once blistered and charred, peel the skin off the jalapeño and remove the stem and seeds. Set ingredients aside. 10 min
- In a medium pot, add the tomatoes, pepitas, brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, and chicken stock (or water). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer—reduce 10 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to a blender with the blistered garlic, white onion, jalapeño, chipotle peppers and sauce, and animal crackers. Blend until smooth, then transfer back to a pot, taste for salt and additional seasonings, and reduce for 10 minutes. Set aside. 20min
Make the filling:
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, tomato paste, and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium and cook until softened—8-10 minutes—then add the corn, shredded chicken, kidney beans, and 1/4 cup of sauce. Cook 5 minutes more, then take off the heat.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Arrange a springform pan onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Grease the bottom and edges well.
- Add a drizzle of enchilada sauce to the pan, about 3 Tbsp, and lay down a tortilla—in order to fit all of the tortillas into the pan, each layer will need one whole tortilla and one tortilla torn in half to cover the gaps. Cover the tortillas with about ¾ cup more sauce, about 1 c shredded chicken, corn and bean mixture, and ½ cup of cheese. Repeat until all of the tortillas, sauce, chicken, and cheese are used—you should have 3 layers--and finish the pie with a final layer of tortillas, sauce, and cheese.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more until golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes to set and firm up before removing the collar and cutting into it.
- The enchilada pie is moist, flavorful and saucy by itself, but if desired, serve with sour cream, cilantro, and pickled red onion.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
In the ingredients you don’t mention cheese. Then in the instructions you say to add shredded cheese. What kind and how much do I need?
2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend :)
You don’t mention cheese in the list of ingredients. How much do you need?
We added to the recipe! Thanks!