This is the go-to enchilada recipe at my house! The sauce is made from scratch, and dinner is ready in an hour. We use flour tortillas but of course you can use corn! Ingredients and Directions below.
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Enchiladas traditionally are corn tortillas rolled around a filling, usually beef or chicken, and covered in a savory sauce. At our house my family likes to bake them down similar to how you would a casserole, and melt a sprinkle of cheese over the top.
We use flour tortillas instead which I like because they don’t split apart as easily. If you want to stick to the traditional corn tortillas you may need to heat them in a skillet first to get them to firm up some more before rolling.
Our sauce is tomato based, but not like you would expect from an Italian recipe where it can be chunky. We want this sauce to be smooth and a little thick to coat.
The sauce is based off of a very simple roux which combines a wonderful blend of dry spices, bouillon, tomato sauce, and water. It takes a little time to make but it’s not difficult by any means. And it’s worth it. The difference between home made enchilada sauce and store bought is huge! If you don’t want to use the bouillon, substitute base or 2 cups of chicken stock. Just remember to add 1 Tablespoon of salt if you go with stock.
We use 2 lbs. chicken breast for our meat filling. It’s dusted in dry spices and seasonings then baked at 350° for half an hour to forty minutes, depending on how thick the chicken breasts are. You only have to turn the breasts over once half way through the baking process.
As for the cheese I make a blend of Monterey Jack (4oz block) and Medium Cheddar (also 4oz block). Once grated this will yield 2 cups of grated cheese.
The sauce and the cheese can be prepared while the chicken is baking in the oven. Once baked you just pull the chicken with two forks or your hands then prepare your enchiladas.
I’m sure you will love this recipe and it yields 6 total servings of 1 large enchilada each. If you use a standard Pyrex 3qt glass baking dish as I use for many casseroles, you will fit 6 large enchiladas into the dish nicely.
Ingredients: (Makes 6 Large Enchiladas)
- 2 lbs. Chicken Breast.
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder (dusted).
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder (dusted).
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin (dusted).
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder (dusted).
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika (dusted).
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano (dusted).
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Salt (dusted).
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper (dusted).
- Non-stick spray.
- Tortillas of choice, I used 6 Flour Tortillas, 8″.
- 1 Cup Grated Medium Cheddar (4oz. block form) 1 Cup Grated Monterey Jack (4oz. block form).
Ingredients: (Sauce)
- 1/4 Cup Cooking Oil.
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour.
- 1/8 Cup Chili Powder.
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin.
- 1 tsp Onion Powder.
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder.
- 1 Knorr Chicken Bouillon Cube.
- 8 ounce Can Hunts Tomato Sauce.
- 2 Cups Water.
Directions:
- Line a baking dish with 2 lbs. chicken breasts and dust them with the following seasonings; onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, freshly ground salt, and freshly ground pepper. Spray with non-stick spray then rub seasonings in to both sides before baking at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Cook time depends on thickness of chicken breasts, flip at half way point.
- While chicken is baking in the oven you can make your sauce and grate your cheese. Let’s start with the sauce. In a 10″ skillet on low heat add in cooking oil and then flour. Whisk together to create a very simple roux as a base to help our sauce barely thicken.
- We’re going to wake up our spices a little by giving them a small amount of heat. Add in our chili powder, followed by the tsp of each; ground cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Whisk together until fully combined. If your heat is too high your spices will burn. We’re not trying to cook them down, just build up the aromatics and bring out more of the flavor.
- Add in 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube and whisk that down until it is fully combined.
- Increase heat some to get a low simmer. In a two step process add in half of your water (1 Cup for now) and half of your can Hunts Tomato Sauce. When sauce thickens repeat this process a second time. Whisk, reduce heat, and set aside.
- Grate your cheese blocks then combine grated cheese to make a blend of cheddar-monterey.
- Shred now baked chicken and set along side grated cheese to be added to enchiladas.
- Assemble enchiladas! Lay tortilla down flat and line the center with about 3-4 ounces of shredded chicken, a drizzle of sauce, and a sprinkle of cheese. Pull the bottom of the tortilla up over the middle, tuck, then roll.
- Line enchiladas into 3qt baking dish and cover with all the remaining enchilada sauce from your skillet. Sprinkle the remainder of your cheese over the top, then bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Serve, and enjoy!
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