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Chicken Mole Empanadas

Amber Flinton

These empanadas are a labor of love, which is why they are perfect for Valentine’s Day or a special celebratory meal. If you have never had mole before, you are in for a real treat. Mole is the national dish of Mexico and for good reason. The sauce is rich with spiced Mexican chocolate blended with pasilla chiles and kicks of cumin and orange. The sauce is usually smothered over shredded chicken and enjoyed in tacos, but here I’ve encased the chicken mole in a cornmeal pastry for out of this world empanadas.

The recipe does take some time to make, so I recommend breaking up the process. You can make the chicken mole filling a day or two in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator. I also always recommend making pie dough at least the day before to allow the dough to relax in the refrigerator; it’s much easier to work with and tastes better when it has chilled for several hours or overnight.

You will only need half the chicken mole for the amount of dough to yield about 12-14 empanadas. You can use the other half of the filling in corn tortillas for chicken mole tacos, or you can make personal favorite, chicken mole nachos, by smothering corn tortilla chips in warm mole, cotija cheese, and big chunks of avocado. Enjoy these empanadas as an appetizer, or, to make them a meal, serve them with chips, guacamole, beans or my cilantro lime coleslaw.

Empanada Dough

Equipment:

  • Food processor

Ingredients:

  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/3 cup finely ground cornmeal

  • 3/4 tsp. salt

  • 6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed

  • 1 egg

  • 1/4-1/2 cup cold water

Method:

  1. Place the flour, cornmeal, and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse several times to mix.

  2. Add the butter and pulse several more times until fully incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse sand.

  3. Add the egg and 1/4 cup of the water and pulse several times again. One tablespoon at a time, continue adding water to the dough. Process for about 20 seconds in between each addition, and only add enough water for the dough to come together into a ball. Remove the lid and touch the dough. If it feels to crumbly or dry, add more water and process again. Otherwise turn the dough out onto a clean surface, and divide it into two halves. Shape each half into a round disk, cover and refrigerator two hours or up to 3 days.

Chicken Mole

Equipment:

  • Blender

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and dried

  • 2 TBS. peanut oil

  • 1 yellow onion, sliced

  • 1.5 cups low sodium chicken broth

  • 1 cup orange juice

  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 1/4 cup almonds, sliced

  • 1/2 TBS. ground corriander

  • 2 tsp. whole cumin seeds

  • 2.5 oz dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, roughly chopped, and rinsed

  • 2 4 in. strips of orange peel

  • 3/4 tsp. dried oregano

  • 2 TBS. raisins

  • 2 oz. Mexican chocolate (cinnamon or plain dark, such as Taza brand)

Method:

  1. In a large thick bottomed pot, heat 1 TBS. of peanut oil over medium high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and then sear on each side for 4-5 minutes or until lightly golden. Add more oil as needed, and cook in batches if needed.

  2. Add the orange juice and chicken broth to the pot with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is just done. Once cooked, remove the chicken to a bowl and leave the liquid in the pot.

  3. Meanwhile, heat 1 TBS. of peanut oil in a large, lidded fry pan. Add the sliced onion, stir, and cover. Cook over medium low heat for about 18 minutes, stirring every once in a while. The onions should caramelize. Once the onions are caramelized, add the almonds, cumin, garlic, and coriander. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chiles and cook for two minutes more.

  4. Pour this mixture into the pot with the broth and orange juice. Add the oregano, orange peel, and raisins. Bring the mole back to a simmer and cook covered on low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the chiles become very soft. Remove the pot from the heat.

  5. While the mole sauce cooks, use a fork or your hands to shred the chicken. Set it aside covered.

  6. Once the sauce is done cooking, allow it to cool slightly and then blend it in batches until smooth. Taste it and adjust the seasoning, adding salt as needed. Reserve 1/3 cup of sauce for dipping your empanadas. Mix the remaining sauce with the shredded chicken. Allow the mole to cool to room temperature or chill in the refrigerator overnight before stuffing empanadas. If you chill it, you may need to warm it slightly before using it as your filling.

Chicken Mole Empanadas

Equipment:

  • Rolling Pin

  • 6 in. round cookie cutter/plate

  • 2 baking Sheets

  • Pastry brush for egg wash

Ingredients:

  • Empanada dough

  • 1/2 recipe Chicken Mole

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • Chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, crema, or sour cream for garnish

Method:

  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Bring the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for about 10 minutes. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use a 6 in. round cookie cutter or plate to cut circles in your dough.

  3. Fill each circle in the center with 1-2 TBS. of chicken mole filling. Be careful not to over fill them. Gently fold half the dough over to sandwich the dough and form a crescent. Firmly crimp the edges of your empanada using a fork, press, or your fingers. Place your filled empanadas on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch between each one for even cooking. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before baking.

  4. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

  5. Use the pastry brush to lightly brush each empanada with the beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, and then remove the pan from the oven and brush a second layer of egg wash on each empanada. Return them to the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer or until golden brown and baked through. Remove the empanadas from the oven, and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy warm or at room temperature and served with the reserved mole sauce, sour cream, lime wedges, and chopped cilantro.

Chicken mole recipe adapted from Epicurious

Cornmeal empanada dough recipe adapted from Laylita’s Recipes