This chicken molé recipe is a combination of flavors from my maternal grandma's Cajun roots and her Mexican husband. My grandpa introduced molé to her, and she made it her own. This Mexican dish is traditionally a thick, dark stew, but my family's version is very similar to a Cajun chicken stew. We eat it over rice, but I decided to make them into cheesy, crispy tacos!
Ingredients for Mole:
- 3 lbs chicken thighs
- 1/2 jar of Dona Maria molé
- 16 oz Cajun trinity (I used 1 container of Guidry's mix, which is diced onions, celery, bell pepper)
- 1 yellow onion, cut in half
- 4 oz tomato paste
- salt
- Cajun seasoning
- water
Ingredients for QuesaTacos:
- 6 inch flour tortillas (3-4 per person)
- 10 oz Cojita cheese, crumbled
- Cilantro, chopped
- White onion, chopped
Fill a pot of water halfway, add the yellow onion halves and some salt and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and boil for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside in a bowl. Keep the broth separately.
In a new pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the Cajun trinity mix, and cook until translucent. Add the molé and a few ladles of chicken broth. Cook until the molé is completely dissolved in the water. Add the rest of the chicken broth and chicken and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a low simmer, add a tablespoon or so of Cajun seasoning, cover, and let cook down for about an hour.
Once the broth thickens slightly, you can stop here and eat over rice. If you'd like to try the tacos, keep reading!!
Tacos:
Heat a skillet on medium heat. Carefully dip your tortilla in the molé sauce and place on skillet. After about 1 minute, flip the tortilla, add the cheese and shredded chicken. (If the chicken is not completely shredded, roughly chop it.) Fold the tortilla in half to encase the chicken and cheese, and cook it until crispy and golden.
Once off the stove, open the taco and add some onions and cilantro. Ladle some juice from the molé into a small cup for dipping. Enjoy!