Everyone in our family loves chicken enchiladas! I think of them as Mexican comfort food, ranking right up there on the comfort meter with mac and cheese. I first learned how to make chicken enchiladas with chili verde sauce and that is still my preference, although the rest of the family likes enchiladas with a red sauce. Both are pretty darn delicious. If you are lucky enough to find fresh (uncooked) corn tortillas in your local grocery store, you are in for a treat! The kind you find on the shelf will work, but the fresh ones in the refrigerator section are WAY better and probably better for you. The ones I found had no artificial stuff in them, although they weren’t organic, which would have been even better.
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 package of fresh corn tortillas the ones I use come 14 to a package
- 1 batch of Enchilada sauce or Chili Verde Sauce
- Cooked chicken – you can cook a whole chicken easy crockpot chicken or you can sauté some boneless chicken breast or thighs. Any method that’s easy for you will work. My preferred method it to make easy crockpot chicken the day before and put it in the fridge to it’s ready to go for this recipe. You could also buy a whole roaster, already cooked from the grocery store deli to save time.
- 1 lb. Shredded cheese – I like to use Monterey jack but cheddar works well too
Instructions
- Layer in a 9x13 baking dish. Start with a layer of enchilada sauce, then tortillas, chicken, and finally cheese.
- Keep layering in this order until you’ve used up all the tortillas and chicken.
- Add a little sauce and cheese to the top.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.
- It will be nice and bubbly when it’s done. Be sure to let it set for 5-10 minutes so that it cools down a bit and sets up before serving.
Making enchiladas is a little bit of work but there are some short cuts if you are pressed for time.
The traditional way to put this together would be to first “pass the tortillas through hot oil”. I don’t like to make enchiladas that way because I don’t think we need the extra fat. So, instead, I just cook the tortillas in a hot cast iron pan with no oil – make sure the pan is dry and hot – if it is, the tortillas won’t stick. Cook them according to the package directions. It only takes about a minute or less on each side.
I also do not roll my tortillas. Instead, I layer them, kind of like lasagna. It goes together quicker this way and it’s easier to serve – just cut squares. So start layering in a 9×13 baking dish. Start with a layer of enchilada sauce, then tortillas, chicken, and finally cheese.
Keep layering in this order until you’ve used up all the tortillas and chicken. Add a little sauce and cheese to the top.
Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. It will be nice and bubbly when it’s done. Be sure to let it set for 5-10 minutes so that it cools down a bit and sets up before serving.
We like to serve with a dollop of sour cream, and freshly chopped cilantro and green onions.
Some variations: You could sneak in some veges if you wanted to – nice additions are onions, peppers, black beans, corn, cilantro, tomatoes. You could swap beans and corn or rice for the chicken if you want a vegetarian option. This recipe is pretty versatile – make it with the ingredients you like and you can’t go wrong. Enchilada sauce and chili verde sauce can both be made ahead and put in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.