Chicken Enchiladas
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Homemade chicken enchiladas are bold, smoky, and packed with flavor. Tender shredded chicken is mixed with cheese then rolled in warm tortillas and is finished off with a delicious smoky and spicy sauce.
We like Mexican food a lot. In fact, I usually cook Mexican food about once a week. Sometimes it’s tacos, other times it’s a salad, and still other times we have nachos. One reason I enjoy cooking it so much is because I can use chicken, fish, steak, pork, or even tofu in my Mexican cooking.
One of our favorite meals are enchiladas.  I don’t make them often because they are high in calories and I have to make homemade enchilada sauce because I don’t like the ones that come in a can. It’s really not hard to make but it’s an extra step which is sometimes too much for a weeknight meal.
We really like these Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce. When Hatch chile season comes around I love the spiciness of these Batch Hatch Chile Enchiladas. When we want to add some veggies in the mix Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas are perfect.
What are enchiladas?
Enchiladas are a traditional Mexican dish consisting of tortillas that are filled with various ingredients like meat, cheese, beans, potatoes, or vegetables, then are rolled up and covered in a flavorful chili-based sauce.
I’ve found that this recipe is great to make ahead and then put together on a weeknight.  The enchilada sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and the chicken can be cooked and shredded a few days in advance as well. Because of the preparation that can be done ahead of time it makes these enchiladas a great weekday meal.
Ingredients:
- vegetable oil
- onions (I prefer sweet but you can use any type)
- garlic cloves
- green chilies
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- oregano
- beef broth (or you can use chicken or vegetable broth)
- chipotle chilies in adobo (find these in a can in the Mexican aisle at the market)
- tomato sauce
- shredded chicken (use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook your own)
- cheddar and Pepper Jack cheese
- tortillas
To make the sauce heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in the onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and green chilies and saute for 1 minute. Add in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, chicken broth, chipotles, and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and use a blender or food processor and process the sauce until smooth.
In a medium bowl combine the chicken, half the cheeses, and half the sauce.  Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Place the chicken mixture in a tortilla and roll it up. Place in the pan. Pour remaining sauce over top. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce.
Bake for 30 minutes and serve with toppings.
What toppings can I use for my enchiladas?
Popular toppings include sour cream and guacamole.  You can also top it with additional cheese, lettuce, or tomato. Other toppings include hot sauce, chopped onions, sliced olives, cilantro, and salsa.
I really liked this homemade enchilada sauce. It was both smokey and spicy. The smokiness comes from the chipotles while the spiciness comes from the green chilies.
The filling is just chicken and cheese mixed with the enchilada sauce. Originally I was going to add black beans, which would be delicious, but I didn’t have any.
How do you store these enchiladas?
Store them in an air tight container and place them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat them, put them in a baking dish at 350 degrees or microwave them to heat them up.
These enchiladas are a good weekday meal. I like to make both the chicken and sauce ahead of time so that all I have to do is put the enchiladas together and bake them.
Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 4 oz. green chilies
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon chipotle chiles in adobo sauce minced
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
For the enchiladas:
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Pepper Jack cheese shredded
- 12 small flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
- Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add in the onion and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and green chilies and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, beef broth, chipotles, and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- In a medium bowl combine the chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup Pepper Jack cheese, and half the enchilada sauce. Mix well.
- Place the tortillas on a flat surface and fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the chicken and cheese mixture. Roll up and place in the prepared pan seam side down.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.
- Serve enchiladas with sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro.
Notes
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