Chicken Enchiladas in Mole Amarillo
One of Jonathan’s passions at La Cosecha is educating people about simple, traditional Mexican cooking techniques. That was the inspiration for his mole amarillo made with hard-skinned winter squash, chiles, seeds, nuts and spices. He uses it here with shredded chicken, cheese and tortillas to make enchiladas, but it could just as easily be served with rice, eggs or grilled meats. Guajillo chilies should be easy to find at any Mexican grocery store, or the chilhuacle amarillo chiles (Jonathan’s preferred chiles) can be ordered online from a specialty store.e of the oils and add toasted pepitas to garnish.
Ingredients
For Mole:
8 guajillo or chilhuacle amarillo chiles
¼ cup pumpkin seeds (or pepitas), plus more to garnish
¼ cup blanched almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus more to garnish
½ large yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups diced, peeled butternut squash (any winter squash will do)
¼ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
For Enchiladas:
12 small corn tortillas
1 pound shredded chicken
1 pound Oaxacan cheese or string cheese, shredded or pulled apart into individual strands
¼ cup minced cilantro
Sliced jalapeños, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the mole, heat a heavy-bottomed pan (such as a cast-iron skillet) over medium heat. Add the chiles and toast until they become flexible and fragrant. Set aside. Once cool, remove the seeds and stems.
Using the same pan, toast the pumpkin seeds, almonds, and sesame seeds until they become fragrant and lightly golden brown.
Over an open flame or in your heavy-bottomed pan, char the onion until one side is black. Set aside. Remove the skin from the garlic and lightly char each clove. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the squash. Cook until the squash begins to get some color, about 5-10 minutes. Slice the charred onion and garlic, and add them to the pan with the squash along with the chiles, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sesame seeds, orange juice, lime juice, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper and broth.
Continue to cook until the squash is tender. Allow the mixture to cool, then blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add additional broth or water until the sauce reaches a consistency close to tomato soup. Season with salt to taste.
To assemble the enchiladas, heat the tortillas in a hot pan until they’re flexible. Working one at a time, add a few tablespoons of shredded chicken to each tortilla, followed by an equal amount of cheese. Roll up the filling, and place the filled tortilla in a baking dish. Repeat until all 12 tortillas are filled and rolled.
Cover the filled tortillas with the squash mole and bake for 20 minutes. 9 . Remove the enchiladas from the oven and garnish them with cilantro and additional toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds. For additional spice, add sliced jalapeños.
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