If you’re looking for a warm, comforting, and filling all-in-one meal, enchiladas are for you!
Corn tortillas wrapped around a super flavorful meat filling, smothered in homemade enchilada sauce, and topped with cheesy… baba.
I first fell in love with enchiladas in New Mexico. Mike and I were on a road trip and oh my gosh I fell in love with the Land of Enchantment which just so happens to be the state motto. One of the best meals we ate was at Chez Marie and Tito – the enchiladas (extra chili please!) are something I still crave.
If you love juicy, stuffed enchiladas with lots of sauce and cheese, this is the enchiladas recipe for you!
What is an enchilada?
If you’ve never had the pleasure of making one, an enchilada is a rolled corn tortilla filled with meat (or beans or vegetables), covered in sauce, and baked in the oven. Enchiladas originated in Mexico, but many people associate them with American Tex-Mex. The ones we’re making today are New Mexico style, but they’re both really good!
how to make enchiladas
They may sound complicated, but if you can roll a tortilla, you can enchilada!
- Prepare the sauce. We’ll go all out and make 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 the grocery store.
- Make the filling. Don’t put regular meat in your enchiladas! You want the filling to be flavorful, juicy, and moist. Give your filling an extra boost by mixing in a generous amount of enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Roll. It’s time to ride! Lightly heat your tortilla, with a tablespoon of filling in the center. Roll the tortilla tightly and place, seam side down, in a baking dish.
- Dip. Drizzle with some extra enchilada sauce and finish with a generous dollop of cheese.
- Cook. Cook enchiladas until piping hot and cheese is melted and delicious.
- Go up and enjoy! Finish with some toppings: cilantro, onion, salsa, sour cream, extra chiles. 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 like to air fry the chicken because air fried chicken is VERY juicy, but you can also use leftover grilled chicken or baked chicken.
Cheese – Melted cheese topping on top and cheese inside the enchiladas make these guys a cheesy comfort food.
tortillas – I like to use corn tortillas, which is traditional, but enchiladas with flour tortillas are also popular, and flour tortillas are much softer, so they are very easy to roll.
coverages – What are enchiladas without toppings? Sour cream is a must! I also like a squeeze of lime, diced red onions, sliced avocados, and chopped cilantro.
red vs green
Generally, there are two types of enchiladas: red or green. The red enchiladas have a red enchilada sauce, made with dried red chiles. The green enchiladas have a green chile sauce, made with roasted green chiles. We are going to make green enchiladas because I am obsessed with green chiles!
variants
I love chicken enchiladas, but to be honest you can fill them with just about anything, even all meats: seasoned ground beef, barbecue, carnites, chicken (listed below), pasteur or carne adovada.
What to serve with enchiladas
The best chicken enchiladas
Zero’s green chile enchilada sauce makes these the best chicken enchiladas around.
Serve 6
- 1 kg tomatoes paper skins removed
- 4 anaheim peppers or Hatch, when you can get them
- 1/4 medium onion coarsely chopped
- 6 cloves afflict
- 1 taxes fresh coriander coarsely chopped
- 1 coffee spoon Dried oregano favorite mexican
- 1/2 coffee spoon cumin powder
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups grated cheese optional, divided
- 18-20 little corn or flour tortillas or 8-10 large
- fresh coriander chopped upoptional, to serve
- lemon slices optional, to serve
- hot sauce optional, to serve
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Prepare the enchilada sauce: turn on the oven to broil. Wash and dry the tomatillos and peppers. Toss with a little oil and toast on a foil-lined baking sheet until golden brown, flipping once, about 15 to 20 minutes.
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When the tomatillos and chiles are cooked, remove the tomatillos from the baking sheet and place in a blender. Carefully wrap the foil around the peppers so that they are in a small package so they can be steamed. Steam for 10 minutes, then peel the skins and remove the stems and seeds. Add the peppers to the blender, along with the onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, and cumin. Blend until finely chopped. Taste and season with salt.Set oven to 375°F and lightly grease or use nonstick spray in a baking dish.
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Add 2 cups of the green enchilada sauce to a bowl with the shredded chicken and 1 cup of the cheese. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay a tortilla flat (warm briefly in the microwave if you need to be more pliable), then spoon some filling into the center. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
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Generously top with the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot sauce and lime.
nutritional intakes
The best chicken enchiladas
Amount per proportion
calories 299
Calories from fat 59
% Daily value*
Fat 6.6gdix%
2g saturated fat13%
Cholesterol 77 milligrams26%
Sodium 139 milligrams6%
Potassium 594 milligrams17%
The carbohydrates 27.2g9%
4.8g fibertwenty%
sugar 2.1g2%
Protein 33.7g67%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
