The 4 Absolute Best Things You Can Do With Trader Joe's Frozen Chicken Mole

Out of the many Trader Joe's frozen foods you can easily transform into a variety of dishes for a quick meal, one superb Mexican-inspired option is the chain's chicken mole. To be clear, we think this is the best frozen Mexican option in the Trader Joe's aisles, a spot earned thanks to its authentic flavor and low price point. While chicken mole is often served over a bed of rice with corn tortillas and sometimes beans, that doesn't mean you can't use this frozen option to try its flavors in multiple different ways.

Trader Joe's frozen chicken mole is made with shredded dark-meat chicken and a smoky tomato-based mole sauce that doesn't contain chocolate like some versions of the Mexican sauce. It's also precooked and ready to eat (or use in other meals) after you simply heat it up in the microwave or on the stovetop for a few minutes. That means you'll have more time to turn it into dishes from burrito bowls to sandwiches — so let's dive into how you can transform that frozen product into a complete meal.

Since chicken mole is often served over rice and other toppings that make up a burrito bowl, it's basically a no-brainer to use Trader Joe's frozen chicken mole to make one (sorry, Chipotle). You can also keep it easy and use frozen rice, canned black or pinto beans, and store-bought guacamole or pico de gallo if you're really short on time. Trader Joe's sells many of these products, so it can be a one-stop shop for tonight's dinner.

The best part about burrito bowls is how easily customizable they are, and the store-bought chicken mole makes it even easier. Homemade chicken burrito bowls are often paired with black beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, and shredded lettuce if you need a place to start. To elevate the chicken mole burrito bowls, add pickled red onions for tang, homemade guacamole, or crushed tortilla chips for crunch. For more inspiration, use the premade chicken mole in our cauliflower rice burrito bowl recipe that uses avocado, corn, and sauteed bell peppers as toppings.

Enchiladas are another Mexican-inspired dish that's made easy with the supermarket's frozen chicken mole. Perhaps the most time-consuming part of making enchiladas is cooking the meat that fills the tortillas — but not with this chicken mole. All you really need in addition to the chicken mole is tortillas, enchilada sauce (which you can buy premade to save more time), and cheese. You can always top them off with some of those ingredients mentioned for the burrito bowls like pickled red onions, avocado, or a dash of your go-to hot sauce for spice.

After you cook the chicken mole, spoon it into large flour tortillas and carefully fold them to create the enchiladas. You'll then want to use an enchilada sauce to cover the top, add shredded cheese, then bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Then turn it into a complete meal with rice, beans, and guacamole. You can also find inspiration in our cheesy salsa verde chicken enchilada or loaded beef enchilada recipes, which can be easily adapted with the frozen chicken mole.

The saucy chicken mole also lends itself well to an easy sandwich, almost like a Mexican-style barbecue pulled chicken sandwich. You'll simply cook the chicken mole in the microwave or on the stovetop according to the package's instructions, then it's time to assemble the sandwich. Use whatever type of bread you already have in the kitchen, or take inspiration from the Mexican sandwiches known as tortas and use bolillos (similar to a hoagie roll) or teleras (a flat, round roll) with the chicken mole.

Because the chicken mole is already in a sauce, you won't really need any other condiments. However, there's a case to use shredded lettuce, slaw, or other greens to prevent the bread from getting too soggy from the sauce. Finish the sandwich off with sliced avocado, crispy onions, pickled jalapeños, shredded cheese, or pickled red onions, then take your first bite. The sandwich should be hearty enough to stand on its own for lunch, and you can always pair it with sweet potato fries or homemade tortilla chips for more of a substantial meal.

Our final suggestion to use Trader Joe's chicken mole is to make tacos. Mole chicken tacos aren't very out of the box, so you can easily find recipes online. We recommend using corn tortillas like they do down in Mexico, but we won't judge if flour or hard shell are your preference. The chicken mole has an estimated three servings according to the package, which can likely go further if you don't overload the tortillas, making it ideal for an easy Taco Tuesday (or whatever day you have the craving).

After you cook and pile the chicken onto your chosen tortillas, use whatever toppings you desire, but we've got some suggestions. Because the mole sauce is so rich, a dollop of sour cream or guacamole will help temper those bold flavors. To contrast with the shredded chicken and sauce, jalapeños or pickled red onions will add crunch. And for those who like cheese on tacos, consider crumbled cotija or shredded pepper jack on top of your mole tacos. For more options when you've finished all your chicken mole, here are the best Trader Joe's frozen Mexican foods to try.