Corn tortillas wrapped around a super tasty meat filling, dipped in a homemade enchilada sauce and topped with cheese… slime.
I first fell in love with enchiladas in New Mexico. Mike and I were on a road trip and boy, did I fall in love with Enchantment, which happens to be the state's slogan. One of the best meals we had was at Mary & Tito's - the enchiladas (extra chili please!) are something I still dream about.
If you like stuffed, juicy enchiladas, full of toppings, with lots of sauce and cheese, here is the enchilada recipe for you!
What is an enchilada?
If you haven't had the pleasure of eating one before, an enchilada is a rolled corn tortilla filled with meat (or beans or vegetables), dipped in sauce and baked in the oven. Enchiladas originate from Mexico, but many people associate them with American Tex-Mex.
Red vs green
Generally, there are two types of Tex-Mex enchiladas: red or green. Red enchiladas have a red enchilada sauce, made with dried red peppers. Green enchiladas have a green chile sauce, made with roasted green peppers. Let's make green enchiladas because I'm obsessed with green chili!
How to make enchiladas
They may seem complicated, but if you can roll a tortilla, you can enchilada!
- Make the sauce. We'll go all out and make some homemade green enchilada sauce, but if you're in a hurry, you can use jarred enchilada sauce; You can find red and green salsa in the Mexican aisle at #39; grocery.
- Prepare the garnish. Don't just wrap plain meat in your enchiladas! You want the filling to be flavorful, juicy, and chewy. Give your filling an extra boost by mixing in a good amount of enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Roller. It's time to roll! Lightly warm your tortilla with the filling spooned in the center. Roll the tortilla tightly and place seam side down on a baking sheet.
- Sauce. Pour on a little more enchilada sauce and finish with a generous amount of cheese.
- Cook. Cook the enchiladas until they are heated through and the cheese is tender and delicious.
- Up and enjoy! Finish with some garnishes: cilantro, onion, salsa, sour cream, additional peppers. Enjoy hot!
Ingredient Notes
enchilada sauce – Enchilada sauce is surprisingly easy to make, especially since a blender does all the work for you. That said, you can use store-bought sauce if you're in a hurry.
chicken – I love air fried chicken because air fried chicken is SO juicy, but you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken or baked chicken.
Cheese – A blanket of melted cheese on top along with cheese inside the enchiladas make these guys an extra comforting dish.
Tortillas – I like to use corn tortillas, which are traditional, but enchiladas with flour tortillas are also popular and flour tortillas are much softer, making them very easy to roll.
Dressings – What are enchiladas without dressings? Sour cream is a must! I also like a squeeze of lime, chopped red onions, sliced avocados, and chopped cilantro.
Variations
I love chicken enchiladas, but to be honest, you can fill them with almost anything, even All meats: seasoned ground beef, barbacoa, carnitas, chicken tinga (pictured below), al pastor, or carne adovada.
What to serve with enchiladas
The best chicken enchiladas
From scratch, green chile enchilada sauce makes them the best chicken enchiladas ever.
It serves 6
- 1 kg tomatillos paper skins removed
- 4 Anaheim Peppers or Hatch, when you can get them
- 1/4 Medium onion coarse chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 Cortado fresh cilantro coarse chopped
- 1 coffee scoop Dried oregano Favorite mexican
- 1/2 coffee scoop cumin powder
- 4 cups grated cooked chicken
- 2 cups grated cheese election, divided
- 18-20 little corn or flour tortillas or 8-10 large
- fresh cilantro Cortado, optional, to serve
- lemon slices optional, to serve
- hot sauce optional, to serve
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Prepare the enchilada sauce: put in the oven to roast. Wash and dry the tomatillos and peppers. Toss with a little oil and toast on a foil-lined baking sheet until charred, turning once, about 15 to 20 minutes.
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When the tomatillos and peppers are cooked, remove the tomatillos from the baking sheet and place them in a blender. Carefully wrap the aluminum foil around the peppers so that they are in a small package so they can be steamed. Steam for 10 minutes, then peel off the skin and remove the stems and seeds. Add the peppers to the blender, along with the onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano and cumin. Mix until finely chopped. Taste and season with salt.Set the oven to 375°F and lightly grease or use nonstick spray on a baking dish.
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Add 2 cups of green enchilada sauce to a bowl with the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay a tortilla flat (warm it briefly in the microwave if it needs to be softer) and then spoon a filling into the center. Roll tightly and place seal side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
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Top generously with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with the hot sauce and lime.
Nutritional intake
The best chicken enchiladas
Amount per serving
Calories 299
Calories of fat 59
% Daily value *
Fat 6,6 gten%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 77 mg26%
Sodium 139 mg6%
Potassium 594 mg17%
Carbohydrates 27,2 g9%
Fiber 4.8g20%
Sugar 2.1g2%
Protein 33,7 g67%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
