Monday 12 November 2018

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

I know it's been a while.  I went to Italy for a month - more on that later! - and I was so excited getting ready for the trip that this project kind of got dropped.  But I'm looking forward to sharing my adventures with you and venturing into Italian food with you!

Now - you would thing that would be a segue into a recipe for something Italian...  Buuuuuuut - no.

We're having enchiladas!

Okay - the list of ingredients looks intense - but stay with me.  It's TOTALLY easy to make an enchilada sauce from scratch and it tastes WAY better than store bought.


Combine the onion and jalapeno, salt, and oil in a large pot and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are soft.


Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar.  Stir together and cook briefly.


Stir in the tomato sauce and water.


And stir in the tomato and cook until thickened.


Next, add the chicken and poach it in the enchilada sauce.


After the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pot and shred the chicken.


Then, strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.  Make sure to press on the onions to get out all the liquid.


Add the shredded chicken to the onion mixture.


Stir in one cup of the sauce and the cheese.


And the cilantro.


Warm up the corn tortillas in the microwave and spread 1/3 cup of chicken mixture down the middle of the tortillas.  I like to do two or three at a time so the corn tortillas stay pliable.


Spray the enchiladas lightly with cooking spray and bake in the preheated oven for about 7 minutes to crisp up the tortillas.

Remove the enchiladas from the oven, pour the reserved enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and evenly spread the cheese over the sauce.

Cover with foil and place the pan back into the oven and bake until heated through.


I have actually made these enchiladas in a beef version - just a tiny bit slightly different - so it's actually hard to tell if there is actually any difference in the end result.  But EQUALLY delicious.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and shredded lettuce.  While the enchiladas aren't spicy, they do have a deep smoky heat to them that you can cool up with those toppings.

You could also do a cilantro lime rice for the side.  Salad is also a great choice.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 teaspoons sugar
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Salt and Black Pepper
Cooking Spray
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the canola oil.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are softened - about 8 tot 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar.  Stir together and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
  3. Add the chicken breasts into the sauce.  reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (160 degrees at the thickest part of the breast).  This will take between 12 and 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the sauce and transfer to a plate, allow to cool.
  4. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the onion mixture to get out as much liquid as possible.  Reserve the onion mixture into a large bowl.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture.  Add 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup white cheddar, 1/2 cup Monterey jack, and the cilantro. Stir until well combined.
  6. Working 2 to 3 tortillas at a time, microwave the tortillas on high until pliable, about 40 - 60 seconds.  Spread 1/3 cup of chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla and roll up tightly.  Place the tortillas seam side down in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Continue until all 12 tortillas are filled and in the baking dish.
  7. Lightly spray the enchiladas with cooking spray.  Place the baking dish in the oven uncovered for 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.  (You can skip this step if you prefer a softer tortilla)
  8. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.  Pour the sauce evenly over the enchiladas to cover.  Top with the remaining cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, until heated through.
  9. Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the cheese.  Remove from the oven and let the enchiladas stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Source:  Pink Parsley

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