Mexican
Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Tender chicken enchiladas wrapped in corn tortillas and glossed with a fried red chile sauce that is earthy, warm, and deeply savory.
4 servings · 55 minutes prep · 55 minutes cook
Ingredients
Sauce
- 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 dried chile de arbol, stemmed
- 3 Roma tomatoes, roasted
- 1/4 white onion, roasted
- 3 garlic cloves, roasted
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cups chicken stock
Enchiladas
- 12 fresh corn tortillas
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup avocado oil, for softening tortillas
- 3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
- 1/3 cup Mexican crema
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced white onion
Directions
Make the Chile Sauce
- Toast the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and chile de arbol until the skins darken slightly and become pliable, with a toasted aroma but no scorched spots, 20-30 seconds per side. Soak in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain.
- Blend the soaked chiles, roasted Roma tomatoes, roasted white onion, roasted garlic, Mexican oregano, toasted cumin seeds, kosher salt, and chicken stock until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve.
- Heat the avocado oil for the sauce in a saucepan. Fry the strained sauce, stirring often, until darker, glossy, and lightly thickened, 10-12 minutes.
Soften, Fill, and Warm the Tortillas
- Heat the avocado oil for softening tortillas in a skillet. Pass each corn tortilla through the oil until flexible but not crisp, 3-5 seconds per side.
- Dip each tortilla in warm sauce, fill with shredded cooked chicken, roll, and set seam-side down in a warm baking dish.
- Spoon more sauce over the enchiladas and warm uncovered in a preheated 375°F oven until hot at the center and the tortillas are tender, 10-15 minutes.
Garnish and Serve
- Finish with queso fresco, Mexican crema, and thinly sliced white onion.
