One of my favorite meals growing up was Enchiladas. My mom would always have a large spread of fixings to put on top, along with copious amounts of sour cream. I remember her buying cans of pre-made enchilada sauce, so I thought I would try my hand at making something similar from scratch. There are many recipes online that claim to be the “best”, but I finally found one that used a ¼ cup of chili powder… I had found my recipe! Like usual I like to find other’s recipes and add my own spin on it, so as not to be a copy-cat. This recipe is quite simple and doesn’t take much time at all!
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Obviously, the heart of any good enchilada is the sauce, it can make or break this gooey masterpiece, and this time I nailed it!
Second to the sauce would be what you put in your tortillas; some use beef, cheese, or even ground turkey…. I opted for some plain ‘ole chicken, along with some green chilies, and black beans. On top of that goes the cheese, lots and lots of cheese. 3 types to be exact. My lactose intolerance will have to take a back seat today as I pile high this medley of dairy devotion.
If you’ve never assembled a pan of enchiladas, I’ve included some process pictures to get you started. First you will spread a small amount of your sauce onto the bottom of your pan to keep the tortillas from sticking. Next, lay out your tortillas on a flat surface and coat the top with a few spoonfuls of your sauce.
Arrange your filling and cheese in a line along the center, then roll up like a burrito, leaving the ends open.
Place each filled tortilla into your pan, making sure to fill the entire space. Once your pan is full, cover with the remaining sauce, spreading it evenly across all tortillas.
After all the sauce has been used up, spread your cheese over the enchiladas and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Once your enchiladas come out of the oven make sure NOT to be distracted by the flowing rivers of cheese, they aren’t going anywhere, and may cause you to forget the fixings. Typical toppings include, but are not limited to: Sour cream, chopped red onions, diced tomato, fresh cilantro, cotija cheese, and hot sauce. If you’re anything like me, you might ignore the warning and simply stare at the molten magnificence. That is, until you realize that the grumbling you hear is your tummy crying out, begging to be introduced to your newly created masterpiece. What are you waiting for? Your tummy deserves to be happy, and making this dish will ensure that happens.
Yum
Chicken Enchiladas
Home made enchiladas with a sauce made from scratch, don't forget the fixings!
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Chili powder I used half spicy Mexican, half Chipotle
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 cups Chicken stock
- Sea salt to taste
For the enchiladas
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Small white onion, chopped
- 2 lbs Chicken breast sliced into 1/2in pieces
- 1 4 oz. can Diced green chilies
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 1 30 oz. can Black beans, rinsed and drained
- 8 Large flour tortillas
- 2 cups each Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, and Mexican-blend cheese (shredded) Combine these all together in a large bowl
- Optional toppings: chopped red onion, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, sour cream, cotija cheese, hot sauce.
Instructions
To make the sauce
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Heat oil in a small saucepan over med-high heat, add flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Add in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano, continue to cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually pour in the stock and continue to whisk, breaking up any clumps. Continue to heat until mixture reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce becomes slightly thick.
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Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking, I added about a 1/2 tsp salt to mine.
To make the enchiladas
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Preheat oven to 350°F
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In a large sauté pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Add diced onion and cook until slightly translucent, add in the diced chilies and chicken. Season with a heavy sprinkle of both salt and pepper, continue to cook for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through. Add in the can of black beans and stir to combine, remove from heat and set aside.
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To assemble the enchiladas: lay out your tortillas one at a time and cover with about 2 tablespoons of sauce. Then spoon a line of your chicken mixture across the center of the tortilla and cover with about 1/3 cup of your cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. (you can either grease the bottom of the dish or use about 3 tablespoons of sauce spread out to ensure the tortillas don't stick to the bottom.
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Assemble the remaining enchiladas and cover with the remaining sauce, then cover with remaining cheese and fresh cilantro.
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Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are slightly crispy. Serve warm, and for the love of god, don't forget the fixings!
Recipe Notes
Most traditional enchilada recipes use corn tortillas, but I grew up using the flour ones. I find they are much easier to roll and don’t fall apart as much, feel free to use either when making this dish.