Chicken Enchiladas Recipe (Enchiladas Rojas)
These Mexican chicken enchiladas are made with juicy shredded chicken wrapped in corn tortillas, lots of cheese, and smothered in homemade red enchilada sauce, topped with crumbled cheese. This is the best I've ever had.
Servings: 8 enchiladas
Calories: 219kcal
Ingredients
FOR THE RED ENCHILADA SAUCE
- 4 dried ancho peppers stemmed and seeded
- 4 dried guajillo peppers stemmed and seeded
- 4 dried chiles de arbol stemmed and seeded (optional, for spicy)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- Water as needed
FOR THE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil divided
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 2 cups shredded Mexican Manchego cheese Or use a Mexican cheese blend or any good melty cheese
- 8 corn tortillas
- FOR SERVING: Crumbly queso fresco, fresh chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes
Instructions
FOR THE ENCHILADA SAUCE
- Dry toast the dried chili peppers in a heated pan over medium heat. Toast them a couple minutes per side, until they start to puff up slightly. Cool, then set them into a heavy bowl with enough hot water to cover them.
- Soak for 20 minutes, or until they become very soft. Remove them and place them in a blender or food processor. Reserve 1 cup of the dark soaking water.
- In the same heated pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the onion 4-5 minutes, or until it becomes translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant.
- Add the onion and garlic to the food processor along with sea salt, then process to form a paste.
- Pour in the reserved soaking liquid 1/4 cup at a time and process to form a sauce to your desired consistency. You can add more fresh water if needed.
- Strain the sauce, if desired, then pour into a saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to develop the flavor.
FOR THE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS ROJAS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C).
- Mix 1 cup of the enchilada sauce with the shredded chicken in a large bowl.
- Heat a separate pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the tortillas a few seconds in the oil until they become pliable.
- Dip each tortilla into the warmed enchilada sauce, then fill each with shredded chicken and shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas up and set them into a baking dish, seam side down. Spoon a bit of enchilada sauce over the top.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melty. Top with remaining enchilada sauce.
- Garnish with crumbly cheese, fresh herbs and spicy red chili flakes.
Video
Notes
The sauce makes about 2-1/2 cups.
Nutrition
Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 766mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 330mg | Iron: 0.4mg