Simple Chicken Enchiladas in Red Sauce
This is a simple recipe for delicious chicken enchiladas in red sauce. It was inspired by several recipes: (enchiladas: Skinnytaste, Foodnetwork, Food Wishes, shredded chicken: The Harvest Kitchen.
Start to finish at a lazy pace, this takes about three hours to make, most of which is waiting so you can do something else. Here's what the end result looks like - yumm :-)
Main steps:
Ingredients:
Shredded Chicken (part I)
Very lightly season the chicken thighs with salt & pepper, and then lightly brown (just turning white) in a large dutch oven. Then add the can of diced tomatoes, chicken stock, and initial taco seasoning mix (approx 1 T). Be very careful to keep the seasoning light, as we will later reduce this down which will magnify the flavor & seasoning in the final result. You want the liquid to mostly cover the chicken, around 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up. Cover your dutch oven and cook on low/simmer for around 40 minutes.
Enchilada Sauce
In a small saucepan, combine equal parts of 2T flour and 2T vegetable oil, mixing together. Cook over a low heat until fully mixed and the flour has started to cook. Then add the 28oz of enchilada sauce. Stir regularly, scraping up and incorporating any clumps at the bottom/sides of the pan. Once at a boil, you can turn off the heat and this will be ready for final assembly.
Shredded Chicken (part I)
Pre-heat your oven to 350F now, and it will be ready in time.
Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and move them to a bowl. Move a few at a time to a cutting board, and shred them using two forks. This is when you can also clean any bits of fat/scraps you don't want to eat/have in your final product. Once all the chicken is shredded, add back to the original pot and bring up to a boil. You'll stir regularly. The shredded chicken will pick up tons of flavor while keeping moist. As this mixture reduces, flavors will intensify. Once approaching the consistency you want (almost a sludge of chicken and tomatoes), you can season to taste. Consider adding salt, pepper, taco seasoning, or for a kick some chipotle pepper. Turn off the heat and let cool. I like to transfer to the same bowl used earlier in this step, which helps the chicken cool faster and is easier to move around.
Enchilada Assembly
Assemble enchiladas one at a time in a designated wet plate. Use a spoon to generously spread enchilada sauce on both sides of the tortilla. This adds flavor, moisture, and prevents the tortilla from cracking during the fold. Use a utensil to add/spread chicken, as the chicken will be hot! Fold one side over, then the other, and place in a 9"x13" baking dish fold-side down. With typical-size corn tortillas, you can fit 8 in neat rows and then 4 more on the side (see photo). Once the entire tray is done, sprinkle cheese on top to your preference. Pour the enchilada sauce over and alongside the tortillas generously using all of it, making sure that most of the tortillas surface is corvered.
Bake, Garnish, and Eat!
Bake for 25-30 minutes in an oven at 350F, until the cheese is bubbling and the visible tortilla edges are starting to get crispy. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve with optional toppings: chopped cilantro and sour cream. Enjoy!
Start to finish at a lazy pace, this takes about three hours to make, most of which is waiting so you can do something else. Here's what the end result looks like - yumm :-)
Main steps:
- Braise the chicken thighs in chicken stock/broth, diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning
- Shred the chicken and then simmer in the stock & tomatoes, reducing by more than half
- Assemble the enchiladas
- Bake, Garnish and eat!
Ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs. Around 2.5-3lbs makes 12 enchiladas.
- Salt & pepper 1/2 tsp each for the chicken. Be careful not to over-do seasonings, as the sauce reduction later will have a lot of spice/sodium!
- Diced Tomatoes (14.5oz can)
- 28oz, give or take, of red enchilada sauce (have had good results with both Safeway & Old El Paso)
- Shredded cheese. Suggest mixing mozzarella and cheddar, or using a mexican blend. Approx 6oz, or 8oz for generous cheese on top.
- Chicken broth/stock, 2 cups.
- Taco Seasoning Mix. I like the McCormick Premium Taco Seasoning. Of course, you can also mix individual spices to your preference via above recipes. Start with approx 1 T (tbsp), and add more to taste once the sauce has reduced.
- Corn tortillas. This recipe is good for around 12 enchiladas, and you might break (or eat!) some along the way, so get a bit more than that.
- Flour (2 T) and Vegetable Oil (2 T) for thickening the sauce
- Cilantro (optional topping)
- Sour cream (optional topping)
Shredded Chicken (part I)
Very lightly season the chicken thighs with salt & pepper, and then lightly brown (just turning white) in a large dutch oven. Then add the can of diced tomatoes, chicken stock, and initial taco seasoning mix (approx 1 T). Be very careful to keep the seasoning light, as we will later reduce this down which will magnify the flavor & seasoning in the final result. You want the liquid to mostly cover the chicken, around 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up. Cover your dutch oven and cook on low/simmer for around 40 minutes.
Enchilada Sauce
In a small saucepan, combine equal parts of 2T flour and 2T vegetable oil, mixing together. Cook over a low heat until fully mixed and the flour has started to cook. Then add the 28oz of enchilada sauce. Stir regularly, scraping up and incorporating any clumps at the bottom/sides of the pan. Once at a boil, you can turn off the heat and this will be ready for final assembly.
Shredded Chicken (part I)
Pre-heat your oven to 350F now, and it will be ready in time.
Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and move them to a bowl. Move a few at a time to a cutting board, and shred them using two forks. This is when you can also clean any bits of fat/scraps you don't want to eat/have in your final product. Once all the chicken is shredded, add back to the original pot and bring up to a boil. You'll stir regularly. The shredded chicken will pick up tons of flavor while keeping moist. As this mixture reduces, flavors will intensify. Once approaching the consistency you want (almost a sludge of chicken and tomatoes), you can season to taste. Consider adding salt, pepper, taco seasoning, or for a kick some chipotle pepper. Turn off the heat and let cool. I like to transfer to the same bowl used earlier in this step, which helps the chicken cool faster and is easier to move around.
Enchilada Assembly
Assemble enchiladas one at a time in a designated wet plate. Use a spoon to generously spread enchilada sauce on both sides of the tortilla. This adds flavor, moisture, and prevents the tortilla from cracking during the fold. Use a utensil to add/spread chicken, as the chicken will be hot! Fold one side over, then the other, and place in a 9"x13" baking dish fold-side down. With typical-size corn tortillas, you can fit 8 in neat rows and then 4 more on the side (see photo). Once the entire tray is done, sprinkle cheese on top to your preference. Pour the enchilada sauce over and alongside the tortillas generously using all of it, making sure that most of the tortillas surface is corvered.
Bake, Garnish, and Eat!
Bake for 25-30 minutes in an oven at 350F, until the cheese is bubbling and the visible tortilla edges are starting to get crispy. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve with optional toppings: chopped cilantro and sour cream. Enjoy!
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