I wish I could just give you a plate of these homemade chicken enchiladas and let you try a bite for yourself.

Think steamy hot, creamy-chicken-tomato-green chili pepper flavors pouring out of a homemade tortilla, smothered with a bold, dark, deep, spicy enchilada sauce, covered in bubbling pepper jack cheese and garnished with cold fresh lime, cilantro, avocado, raw cabbage slivers and sweet, crunchy diced bell pepper.

Was that enough adjectives?

If you want to invest the time for the best possible outcome, make your tortillas and shred your own cheese.

If today is just not that day, and you simply need dinner on the table, no big deal. Use your favorite tortillas and grab the bag of cheese.

The enchilada sauce is a non-negotiable though. It’s so quick, so easy and so flavorful that I can’t get behind anything else. Plus it’s kinda fun.

Leftovers, the mother of reinvention

I first resorted to making enchiladas to use up left-overs in a way that didn’t feel so much like leftovers. But in a sort of cheesy plot twist, I now roast a whole chicken as a prelude for enchiladas!

And yes, a rotisserie bird would be just as good, provided it’s not seasoned contrary to Mexican flavors. But chicken isn’t the only leftover that can pull off enchiladas… Leftover chili? Sure! Beef from a roast? Absolutely!

Never underestimate a tortilla

While tortillas may not be the main characters in this dish, they do bring a texture value that I have come to need in my life.

I typically make these enchiladas with homemade fresh-milled-whole-wheat-flour tortillas, but I have used the regular store-bought kind when I needed to throw this thing together quickly for a party.

I felt like they were wet blankets on my fiesta.

But did anyone else care? Probably not.

If you don’t have the time to tackle the homemade tortilla, it’s no big deal. Feed your people. I support you.

But if you’re up for it, I think they’re worth it!

There is a separate post dedicated to the FMWW tortillas, but I’ll include a printable recipe card on this post as well.

Spices are the best part

Let’s talk about this enchilada sauce for a minute.

Do I really know what an authentic enchilada sauce is? No. No my freckles do not.

Do I know how to make an enchilada sauce from scratch that my family loves? Yes. Yes I do. And I would like to believe that’s one thing an elderly abuela and I have in common.

And really, why not make your own sauce? Tortillas are one thing; they take time and that’s not aways an option, but this sauce is so quick and easy and the flavor is unbeatable!

It’s a matter of pouring spices into hot oil, whisking in flour and tomato paste and then following up with the liquid (broth if you have it, water if you don’t). It needs to be done quickly, so have your things gathered and on stand-by. Hot oil will not wait for you to dig in the cabinet for cumin.

This CENTO double concentrated tomato paste is my favorite. The tube option is much nicer than opening a little can and then living with a vague sense of guilt for not using it all. I keep these stocked in my pantry now days.

I will include a printable recipe card for the sauce in this post for convenience, but I have an entire post dedicated to this enchilada sauce if you’d like more details.

I love your guts

We all know it’s what’s on the inside that matters.

Here’s what’s on the inside: that chicken (or the beef or chili that we talked about earlier), a few small cans of Ro-tel (diced tomatoes and green chilies), a block of cream cheese and some of our homemade enchilada sauce.

The green chiles in the Ro-tel give a great background heat, and the cream cheese makes this thing dreamy. A healthy dose of the afore-mentioned sauce brings flavor and the savory beef or chicken, for which we are throwing this enchilada party, shines in all its glory.

Bring your Rotel, cream cheese and enchilada sauce just to a simmer and then turn off the heat. Add the meat and stir.

Overly cooked and chicken (or beef) that has beeb stirred to death becomes stringy and sometimes gets a weird “old” reheated taste. What a disappointment. Adding the meat at the very last minute and treating it tenderly will prevent this. (It will all come to a piping hot temp in the oven momentarily.)

Let’s get to the good part

If there are no flies in the kitchen, and my children are quietly reading books and the sun is setting silently behind flaming billows, then I might individually fill my wholesome tortillas the way I have in these photos.

But if there are sounds of general pandemonium, a bird flying through the kitchen, a robot vacuum at my feet and a hungry man digging in the fridge, which is my real life, then I will slap this thing together in fast and loose layers like an irreverent lasagna.

And to tell you the truth, once it’s covered with cheese, baked, plated and garnished, nobody knows …but me.

(That’s a line in a Johnny Cash song.)

I’ve used various cheeses to cover these enchiladas and they’re all winners. Pepper jack is my favorite though, for yet a third layer of moderate heat.

Cover with a generous layer of cheese and bake in a hot oven (350°) until the sides begin to bubble and the cheese is sufficiently melted, usually about 20+ minutes.

You could serve these enchiladas with all sorts of vibrant and fresh garnishes: a cold wedge of lime, a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, diced raw bell pepper, a few thin slices of raw purple cabbage, sliced avocados or fresh pico de gallo. I don’t feel the need to add sour cream since the cream cheese kind of does that job, but anything bright and fresh is a welcomed contrast to the sultry melting hot enchiladas.

Feliz cocina, amigas

Homemade Chicken Enchiladas

This is my version of homemade chicken enchiladas and I can tell you, they're a family favorite. Think creamy chicken and tomato, homemade flour tortillas, spicy green chiles, bold, dark, deep, enchilada sauce, bubbling pepper jack cheese and a finish of cold fresh lime juice, avocado slices, raw cabbage slivers, diced raw bell pepper and of course, cilantro!

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Servings: 6

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp olive oil for the pan
• Tortillas of choice I do homemade with FMWW flour when I can
• Enchilada Sauce super easy from scratch, see post for recipe!
• 2+ cups chopped, cooked chicken (or whatever protein you'll be using)
• 2 10 oz cans of RoTel I like ‘fire roasted’
• 8 oz cream cheese (one block)
• 8 oz pepper jack cheese or whichever you prefer
• 1 fresh bell pepper, diced yellow or orange are sweet and add color
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro finely chopped
• 2 to 3 limes
• ¼ head raw, red cabbage thinly sliced
• fresh pico de gallo
• 1 to 3 avocados, thick slices

Method

 

1. Tortillas
2. If you plan to make your own tortillas, go ahead and get that process started. I have included a separate recipe card for the tortillas below for easy printable organization.
3. Sauce:
4. While your tortilla dough rests, prepare your homemade enchilada sauce. The recipe card for this is also included separately below for easy printable organization.
5. Enchilada Filling:
6. Preheat oven to 350°F
7. In a medium sized boiler on medium-low heat, pour in both cans of RoTel and the block of cream cheese. Allow this to come to a gentle simmer, stirring and mashing the cheese to combine. (A potato masher works great here.)
8. When the mixture is hot and creamy, drizzle in about 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce. Lastly, add in the chicken, turn off the heat and stir gently. You do not want your chicken to “cook”, as it is already cooked and will still go into the oven. Overly heated chicken can become stringy.
9. Drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large, oven safe dish. Grab a tortilla and use it to smear the oil around until the dish is evenly coated.
10. You could assemble this one of two ways:

    1. Fill each tortilla and fold in half like a quesadilla and stack them all against each other, smother with sauce and top with cheese…

    2. Layer it like a lasagna, starting with tortillas, a layer of filling and a drizzle of enchilada sauce. Cover with remaining sauce and cheese at the end.

    I usually do the lasagna method. Either way, try and use all of your ingredients proportionately so you don't end up with leftovers. I would always rather have left over enchiladas than lone ingredients.
11. Once you've arranged your tortillas and filling, smothered with the sauce and topped with freshly shredded cheese, stick the dish in the preheated oven, uncovered, and let it bake until it begins to simmer around the edges and the cheese is as melted as you like it.
12. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve immediately!

    I like to cut large squares out with a wide wooden or metal spatula. Top with your choice of garnishes, and these do "make" the enchiladas: slivers of raw cabbage, chunks of avocado, raw diced bell pepper, extra cilantro, and of course, a wedge of lime.

Courtney

FMWW Flour Tortillas

Homemade freshly milled whole wheat flour tortillas are incredibly flavorful with a texture that holds up to baked enchiladas and are much healthier than anything you can find in the grocery store!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Resting Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 3

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups milled flour (330 grams) hard white and/or hard red
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Method

 

1. Pour all ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
2. Knead the dough on low until well incorporated, 2-5 minutes.
3. Turn off the mixer and allow dough to rest and soak for at least 10 minutes.
4. Knead again on low again for about 3 minutes. The dough ball should become well formed, elastic and glossy. It should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl at this point.

   NOTE: If your dough seems too dry, it's ok to add water, and if it seems too wet and sticky, it's ok to add flour, just add a little at the time and allow it to fully incorporate. Error on the side of hydrated, not dry.
5. Pull the dough from the mixing bowl and form a dough ball with well oiled hands and set it on a large, clean, oiled work surface.
6. You could divide your dough ball into about 12 even pieces and roll those pieces into dough balls (OR you could squeeze dough balls off of the main dough ball, which is kind of fun).
7. Once your dough balls are formed, set them to the side to make a work space for rolling out the tortillas. Put a pan or griddle on the heat (or just use your glass top range if you have one) and let it get warmed up. Set out a cooling rack to receive hot tortillas. (A cooling rack will prevent condensation and soggy tortillas.))

Begin an “assembly line” of rolling, shaping, cooking, flipping and replacing tortillas.

1. Press your dough ball flat with your fingers, and then roll it flat into a long oval with the rolling pin. Flip it 90 degrees and roll again to form more of a round shape. Be sure to apply pressure evenly and do not make the middle too thin or taper the edges too much. Overly thin areas will become papery.
2. Pick up the flattened shape and gently pull and stretch it with your fingers or let it hang and stretch itself, like a pizza dough.
3. Lay it flat onto the hot pan or stove top and do not move it. It will be stuck upon contact, and then quickly cook and become loose. When you see bubbles form and the skin of the dough become more matte than glossy, flip it over. Allow it to become slightly puffy and then flip it onto the cooling rack.
4. Repeat the process. These are great served hot off the pan, or let them cool and then seal them up for later use. Freezes well.

Notes

CAN I JUST USE REGULAR FLOUR?

Yes. These could totally be made with conventional all purpose flour or even bread flour. Start with the recommended amounts listed above and don’t be afraid to add a few more TBSP of flour as needed, as it will soak up less of the water than FMWW do. Use your intuition. I believe in you.  

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This homemade enchilada sauce is warm, bold, flavorful, and so easy to make from scratch!

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 2 TSP salt
• 1 TSP oregano
• 1 ½ TSP garlic
• 1 ½ TSP paprika
• ½ TSP cumin
• optional: dash of cayenne or chipotle if you want more heat
• 2 TBSP flour
• 2 TBPS tomato paste
• ¾ cup chicken (or beef) broth preferably water if need be

Method

 

1. Set a saucepan or cast-iron skillet on the stove top on medium heat. When the pan is hot, pour in the olive oil, followed by the spices.
2. Have fun making the little piles of color
3. When the spices begin to sizzle, add the tomato paste and flour and whisk together.
4. Let this toast and sizzle for just a minute. You want to hear and smell good things happening, but not burning.
5. Add broth (or water if it’s all you’ve got) a quarter cup at the time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
6. Or pour it all in and whisk. Up to you.
7. Turn heat to low (or off) and allow the sauce to sit and simmer quietly and develop flavor. It will be fine waiting for you while you work on other things.
8. Taste to see if it needs more salt, this depends on the broth you use. Add a bit more if needed… this sauce is bringing all of the flavor to the filling, so don't hold back.