Discover the Ultimate Comfort Food: Enchiladas
If you’re in search of a warm, hearty, and satisfying dish that brings comfort to your table, look no further than enchiladas. These delightful creations feature corn tortillas enveloping a rich and savory meat filling, generously covered in homemade enchilada sauce and topped with melted cheese. What could be more enticing?
My love affair with enchiladas began during a memorable road trip through New Mexico. My partner Mike and I were captivated by the enchanting landscapes of this beautiful state—aptly named “The Land of Enchantment.” One standout meal was at Mary & Tito’s, where I savored their incredible enchiladas (extra chile, please!). To this day, those flavors linger in my dreams.
If you crave plump and juicy enchiladas brimming with flavor and smothered in sauce and cheese, then this recipe is perfect for you!
How to Prepare Delicious Enchiladas
While making enchiladas may seem daunting at first glance, it’s quite simple! If you can roll up a tortilla, you can master this dish.
1. Prepare the Sauce: We’ll create a homemade green enchilada sauce from scratch. However, if time is tight, feel free to grab some jarred sauce from the Mexican aisle at your local grocery store—both red and green options are available.
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Make the Filling: Don’t settle for plain meat! Elevate your filling by mixing it with plenty of flavorful enchilada sauce and cheese to ensure it’s juicy and delicious.
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Roll It Up: Warm your tortillas slightly before use; then place some filling in the center of each tortilla. Roll them tightly while placing them seam-side down into an oven-safe baking dish.
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Add Sauce: Generously spoon extra enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas before topping them off with an ample amount of cheese.
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Bake: Place your dish in the oven until everything is heated through and the cheese has melted beautifully.
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Garnish & Serve: Top off your creation with fresh cilantro, diced onions, salsa or sour cream—whatever suits your taste—and enjoy while hot!
Ingredient Highlights
- Enchilada Sauce: Making homemade sauce is surprisingly easy; just blend ingredients together! But if you’re short on time or prefer convenience, store-bought options work well too.
- Chicken Options: Air frying chicken yields fantastic results for these recipes; however, leftover rotisserie or baked chicken also works perfectly.
- Cheese Galore: A generous layer of melty cheese on top combined with cheesy goodness inside makes these enchiladas irresistibly comforting.
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Tortillas Choice: While traditional corn tortillas are preferred for authenticity’s sake (remember to warm them!), flour tortillas are softer alternatives that make rolling easier.
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Toppings Galore: No plate of enchiladas is complete without toppings! Sour cream is essential; consider adding lime juice squeeze or garnishing with diced red onions or sliced avocados for extra flair.
Red vs Green Enchiladas
Enchiladas typically come in two varieties—red or green:
- Red versions feature red chili pepper-based sauces,
- Green ones utilize roasted green chili peppers as their base ingredient.
For today’s recipe adventure we’ll focus on tantalizing green chile variations because they’re simply irresistible!
What Exactly Is An Enchilada?
In case you’ve never had one before—a classic enchilada consists of rolled corn tortillas filled primarily with meat (or beans/vegetables), drenched in savory sauce before being baked until perfection emerges from within its cheesy embrace! Though originally hailing from Mexico itself—the popularity has spread widely across Tex-Mex cuisine throughout America’s Southwest region as well!
Endless Variations Await You
While chicken remains my favorite choice when preparing these delectable rolls—you can fill them up using various meats such as seasoned ground beef barbacoa carnitas chicken tinga al pastor carne adovada—the possibilities truly abound!
Perfect Pairings For Your Enchiladas
What goes better alongside scrumptious Mexican fare than fluffy Mexican rice? Or perhaps whip up quick homemade salsa verde? And don’t forget about crispy tortilla chips—they’re always better when made fresh rather than bought pre-packaged!
Best Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
This recipe features an exquisite homemade green chile enchilda sauce that elevates these chicken-filled delights into something extraordinary!
Serves 6
Prep Time 30 minutes | Cook Time 1 hour | Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb tomatillos (husk removed)
- 4 Anaheim chiles (or Hatch chiles when available)
- ¼ medium onion (roughly chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- ½ tsp ground cumin -4 cups cooked shredded chicken -2 cups shredded cheese (divided) -18–20 small corn/flour tortillas OR -8–10 large ones -Fresh cilantro & lime wedges optional garnish -Hot sauce optional serving suggestion
Instructions:
1) Preheat oven broiler setting high heat . Wash/dry tomatillos/chiles , toss lightly w/oils , roast on foil-lined sheet until charred (~15–20 mins). Remove tomatillos once done but wrap chiles tightly so they steam inside foil package (~10 mins). Peel skins/stems/seeds after steaming . Blend all ingredients together including onion/garlic/coriander/oregano/cumin till finely chopped ; season salt accordingly .
2) Set oven temperature down to375°F . Lightly oil/spray baking dish .
3) Combine shredded chicken +2 cups prepared verde salsa +1 cup shredded cheeses ; mix thoroughly seasoning salt/pepper according preference .
4) Warm each tortilla briefly if needed then spoon mixture onto center rolling tightly placing seam side down into prepared pan repeating process till all filled .
5 ) Pour remaining verde salsa generously over top followed by remaining cheeses bake ~20–30 mins until bubbly/melted golden brown perfection achieved ! Garnish w/fresh herbs serve alongside hot sauces/lime wedges !
Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories :299 Calories From Fat :59 Fat :6g(10%) Saturated Fat :2g(13%) Cholesterol :77mg(26%) Sodium :139mg(6%) Potassium :594mg(17%) Carbohydrates :27g(9%) Fiber :4g(20%) Sugar <0> Protein <0>
Percent Daily Values based upon standard diet consisting roughly around2000 calories daily intake.