Enchilada
intro
Warm, saucy rolled corn tortillas stuffed with seasoned chicken and melted cheese, baked under rich red chile sauce for a cozy, crowd-pleasing meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Cook seasoned chicken filling
Heat 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat (175°C/350°F pan surface). Add diced onion, sauté for 3 minutes until soft and translucent, then add minced garlic, cumin, paprika, and kosher salt, cooking 30 seconds until fragrant. Cut chicken thighs into 5cm pieces, add to the skillet, sear 3 minutes per side until golden, then pour in 120ml (1/2 cup) water, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes until chicken reaches 74°C/165°F internal temperature. Shred chicken with two forks directly in the pan, mix thoroughly with seasoned pan juices, then set aside.
Warm corn tortillas
While the chicken simmers, preheat a small section of oven to 120°C/250°F. Stack the 12 corn tortillas on a sheet of aluminum foil, wrap tightly, and place in the oven for 10 minutes until soft and pliable. For a lightly charred flavor, heat each tortilla 10 seconds per side directly on a low gas burner flame before stacking and wrapping in a clean tea towel to retain warmth.
Prep baking dish base
Pour 125ml (1/2 cup) of red enchilada sauce across the bottom of a 23x33cm (9x13 inch) glass baking dish, spreading evenly with a silicone spatula to fully coat the surface and prevent sticking. Increase main oven temperature to 180°C/350°F in preparation for baking.
Roll stuffed enchiladas
Working with one warm tortilla at a time to prevent cooling and cracking, spoon 3 tablespoons (45g) of shredded chicken and 2 tablespoons (14g) of shredded Monterey Jack cheese down the center of each tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling, then place it seam-side down in the prepared baking dish, arranging all 12 rolled enchiladas in a neat, single layer across the dish.
Bake enchiladas until bubbly
Pour the remaining 375ml (1.5 cups) of red enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the rolled enchiladas, ensuring all tortilla surfaces are coated to prevent drying during baking. Sprinkle the remaining 172g (1.5 cups) of shredded Monterey Jack cheese evenly across the sauced top. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is fully melted, sauce is bubbling around the dish edges, and the center reaches 74°C/165°F.
Rest and garnish to serve
Remove baked enchiladas from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes at room temperature to allow the filling and sauce to set, which prevents spills when serving. Top with chopped fresh cilantro, and serve with a 30g (2 tablespoon) dollop of sour cream per portion.
Tips
2.Make sure all exposed tortilla surfaces are covered in sauce before baking; dry, uncovered tortilla edges will turn tough and chewy instead of staying soft
3.For a make-ahead option, assemble unbaked enchiladas, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours; add 5 minutes to the covered bake time if cooking straight from the fridge
Game changer alert! I’ve been making enchiladas for years for my husband’s weekly potluck at work and this recipe blew my old one out of the water. The cheese pull is insane, the seasoning on the chicken is perfect, and it was so much easier than my old from-scratch sauce method. I got three people asking for the recipe at the potluck last night! 10/10
Meal prep win! I made a big pan of these on Sunday, portioned them out for lunches all week, and they reheat perfectly in the microwave. No soggy tortillas, the cheese stays creamy, even my teen who complains about “leftover food” didn’t gripe once when he grabbed one for lunch yesterday. Only note: I added a little extra green chile because we love heat in our house.
Super easy to swap the flour tortillas for corn gluten-free ones here! I was worried they’d fall apart when rolling, but I warmed them up for 10 seconds in the microwave first and they rolled perfectly, no cracks. The whole family loved it, even my non-gluten-free brother who came over for dinner said he couldn’t tell the difference. Will make again!
OMG. I added a handful of crumbled cotija on top before baking like my abuela used to and it was chef’s kiss. My only tiny complaint is the cook time felt a touch long? I pulled mine out at 45 minutes because the cheese on top was perfectly bubbly and starting to crisp around the edges, which is how I like it. Otherwise zero notes, so cheesy and cozy.
As someone who literally burns toast half the time, I was shocked how easy these were to make! I followed the directions exactly, didn’t mess anything up, and my roommate thought I ordered takeout from our favorite local Mexican spot. Total confidence boost, gonna try more of your recipes now for sure.
Made these for my mom’s birthday dinner last Sunday and everyone raved. The red sauce is so flavorful without being too spicy for my grandma who can’t handle any heat, the chicken is tender, and the layers of cheese are just perfect. Served it with a side of cilantro lime rice and refried beans, it felt like a full restaurant meal at home for a fraction of the price.
SO good! I mixed a can of diced jalapeños into the chicken filling and drizzled a little hot sauce on top before serving, and it had exactly the kick I was craving. My partner said these are better than the enchiladas we got on our trip to New Mexico last year, which is the highest possible compliment coming from him. Only downside is now he’s begging me to make them every single weekend.
I don’t usually love casserole-style baked dishes because they get mushy, but these were perfect! The edges of the tortillas got a little crispy, the filling was creamy, and the cheese on top got that golden brown bubbly crust I love. I did use a mix of monterey jack and sharp cheddar because that’s what I had in the fridge, and it worked great.
I swapped the chicken for roasted sweet potato and black beans to make it vegetarian for my roommate, and it worked perfectly! The sauce and cheese pair so well with the sweet potato, even my meat-obsessed cousin who was over ate two of them and didn’t even realize there was no chicken. Super versatile recipe, love when easy recipes are easy to tweak for different diets.
Brought these to my neighborhood block party last weekend and the pan was empty in 10 minutes flat! Multiple neighbors came up to ask if I had a catering side hustle, lmao. I topped mine with a little diced tomato and sour cream after baking for a pop of freshness, which I highly recommend.
My kids loved it!!! I’ve been in a total dinner rut lately, scrolling for easy recipes that don’t require a million fancy ingredients, and this popped up at exactly the right time. My 4 year old usually refuses anything with sauce on it, but he ate two whole enchiladas and asked for more for lunch tomorrow. Total mom win.