I make these chicken enchiladas by frying corn tortillas for a few seconds, then dipping them in warm homemade red sauce so they roll without splitting and don’t soak into a soggy layer on the bottom of the pan. The filling is shredded chicken mixed with a little of that same sauce and cheese. I set the pan next to skillet Mexican street corn when I want a full plate.
Ingredients
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste
- 2 cups (480 ml) chicken broth
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Chicken Enchiladas
- 2 cups (about 280 g) shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups (226 g) shredded cheddar-jack cheese, divided
- 8 corn tortillas (6-inch / 15 cm)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil, for frying
- Kosher salt, to taste
For Serving
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced white onion
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Cook the red sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the flour and chili powder and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the mix darkens a shade and smells toasty instead of dusty and raw. Whisk in the tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano until it looks like a thick paste, then stream in the broth and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce coats a spoon and looks like thin gravy, not watery. Stir in the salt and sugar and keep the pan on low so the sauce stays warm; cold sauce slides off the tortillas instead of clinging.
- Heat the oven and mix the filling: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and spread ½ cup of the warm sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33 cm) baking dish so the rolls have something to sit in besides a dry pan. Mix the chicken with ½ cup of the remaining sauce, 1 cup of the cheese, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. The mix should look moist and hold together on a spoon, not sit in a puddle, because extra sauce leaks and the rolls go soggy.
- Flash-fry the tortillas: Pour the ¼ cup frying oil into a skillet over medium-high heat until a tortilla edge sizzles on contact. Fry one tortilla 3 to 5 seconds per side, until it puffs and turns flexible, then move it to paper towels and do the same with the remaining tortillas. If a tortilla turns rigid and blistered like a tostada, the oil is too hot or you left it in too long, and it will crack when you roll it.
- Dip, fill, and roll: Pass each fried tortilla through the remaining warm sauce so both sides are coated, not dripping. Spoon about ⅓ cup of filling down the center, roll it tight, and set it seam-side down in the dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, nestling them in a single layer so they don’t unroll.
- Sauce, cheese, and bake: Spoon whatever sauce is left over the rolls so the tops are coated and the ends aren’t dry, then scatter the remaining 1 cup cheese over the pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese is melted with a few light brown spots. Pull them before the tortilla edges look fried and dry.
- Rest, then serve: Let the pan sit 10 minutes so the sauce thickens and the rolls hold when you lift them. Serve 2 enchiladas per plate with cilantro, diced onion, and sour cream.
If you swap the sauce or the tortillas
- Canned red enchilada sauce works if you skip the skillet sauce. Warm it first so the dip coats instead of sitting in a cold puddle.
- Green chile enchilada sauce uses the same fry-and-dip method. Don’t mix red and green in one pan; the sauces split and look muddy.
- If you’re using flour tortillas, skip the fry and warm them 20 seconds in a dry skillet so they bend, then dip lightly. They go gummy under red sauce if they sit in it more than a few seconds.
- A drained can of black beans folded into the chicken stretches the filling to 10 tortillas. Wet beans make the rolls leak, so drain them hard.
Storage
Cool leftovers and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours. They keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat, covered, at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, until the filling is hot in the center. The tortillas soften more on day two; that’s normal. Freeze the assembled, unbaked pan tightly wrapped for up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and bake as written, adding a few minutes if the center is still cool. USDA leftover food safety guidance is the 3-to-4-day fridge window I follow for cooked chicken.
FAQ
Why do corn tortillas crack when I roll them?
The tortillas are cold or dry, so they split down the fold. A 3-to-5-second fry in hot oil makes them flexible, and the warm sauce dip keeps them that way while you fill them. Microwaving under a damp towel helps a little, but without the thin oil film they still split.
Can I assemble chicken enchiladas ahead of time?
Roll them, cover the dish tightly, and refrigerate up to 1 day. Pull the pan out 20 minutes before baking so the chill comes off, then bake as written. Don’t sauce and cheese the tops until you’re ready to bake, or the tortillas soak overnight and fall apart on the spatula.
Can I use leftover rotisserie chicken?
Pull the meat off the bones and shred it small enough that a chunk won’t tear a tortilla when you roll. Two cups packed is enough for 8 enchiladas. Taste the filling after you mix in the sauce, because rotisserie chicken is already salted.
