Chicken and Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Mole

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 large onion
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 1 T cumin
• 1 large skinless chicken breast
• 1 head of spinach
• 1 jar of Mole.  I like the 8.25 ounce glass jar of Dona Maria Mole with the yellow metal lid.
• About 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock to reconstitute the Mole, water may be substituted.
• You can easily make this dish vegetarian by substituting some black beans and sautéed mushrooms for the chicken.
• Cojita cheese

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut one butternut squash in half.  Seed and place both sides face down in a glass baking pan filled with ½ inch water.  Place in the oven and bake for 20-40 minutes, until tender when pierced with a  fork.

While the squash is baking, roughly chop the onion and mince garlic.  Put the onion and  half of the garlic into your cast iron skillet or equivalent with 1 T of olive oil and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 1-2 minutes.   Set aside.

Chop the chicken breast into ½ inch or 1 inch cubes, whichever you prefer.  Brown with the remaining garlic, olive oil, and 1T cumin.  Set aside.

Thoroughly wash the spinach and remove stems.

In a saucepan, prepare the mole as directed on the jar.  It is best with chicken or vegetable stock, but water will suffice to bring the mole to the right saucy consistency.

Once the squash is tender, let it cool for a few minutes so it is safe to handle.  Cut it into ½ inch -1 inch cubes, and slice away the outer peel.  Now you are ready to build the casserole.

In a casserole pan, lay down a layer of corn tortillas, next a layer of the cooked onions, chicken and uncooked spinach leaves.  Top with some crumbled cojita (or grated mozeralla and cheddar) cheese, then cover with a layer of Mole.

Put down another layer of corn tortillas and repeat.  I finish with a layer of corn tortillas, a few tablespoons of mole spread across the tortillas with a brush or the back of a spoon, and crumbles of cojita cheese.  Note:  the spinach leaves will cooked down significantly when baking, so add more than you think you need.

Bake the casserole at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Let cool and serve.