Mexican Made Easy: Homemade Enchiladas

I’m a huge fan of Mexican food. The problem? I HATE cilantro and it’s anything but avoidable at most Mexican restaurants.

As a result, I’ve started exploring the art of Mexican cuisine (and by explore, I mean play around with ingredients until they taste good) so that I can make my own cilantro-free dishes. Now, I’m not calling myself Rick Bayless, but I think I made some pretty bomb enchiladas the other day and I’m really excited to share the recipe. I even took a stab at making my own sauce! It came out perfect.

If it’s your first time making enchiladas, or you’re a little timid in the kitchen, no worries! You can always make the sauce ahead of time so you’re not overwhelmed. Or, you could just skip the homemade enchilada sauce and buy a store pre-made one. No one is judging you! You can try next time :).

Print Recipe

Mexican Made Easy: Homemade Enchiladas

These homemade enchiladas will be a hit the next time you host a dinner party!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Enchiladas, Homemade, Mexican Food

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Enchilada Sauce

• 1 tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
• 2 tbsp Flour
• 1/4 cup Chili Powder
• 1/2 White Onion diced
• 1 clove Garlic minced
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 can Roasted Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups Water
• 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For Enchiladas

• 12 Authentic Corn Tortillas
• Vegetable or Canola Oil
• 1 lb Chicken Breast boneless, skinless
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Onion sliced thin
• 2 Cubanelle Peppers sliced
• 1 Ear of Corn kernels removed from cob or 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 can Whole Green Chiles seeded and sliced
• 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce diced up; do not use the whole can as it will be too spicy
• 1 can Tomatoes diced
• Shredded Cheese of Your Choice I like cheddar

Instructions

Make your enchilada sauce!

• Pour your vegetable or canola oil into a medium pot over medium high heat. Add your flour and your chili powder and cook until a dark paste forms (about 3 minutes).
• Once the paste is cooked through, add your diced onions and sauté until they start to soften. Once they begin to soften, add your minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook out another minute.
• Add your water, roasted tomatoes, brown sugar and cumin. Cook for another couple of minutes and then transfer to a blender. Blend the sauce on high until it is fully combined. Place sauce into a large bowl and let cool while you make your enchilada filling!

Make your filling!

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Coat your boneless skinless chicken breast in the cumin and and chili powder. Add oil to your pan and cook chicken on medium high heat (about 7 minutes on both sides) until fully cooked through. Take chicken out of pan and let cool.
• Add your sliced onions to the chicken drippings. Cook on medium high until they begin to soften. Once they do add your cubanelle peppers and cook together for about 5 minutes. After the pepper and onions are soft and beginning to brown, add your corn, minced garlic, green chiles and chipotle pepper. Cook another minute. Then add your canned tomatoes.
  
• Shred your cooled chicken and then add it back into the pan with the vegetables. Let cook and reduce for a few minutes until a solid filling is formed. If it’s too loose, add some flour.
  

Assemble your enchiladas!

• Soften your tortillas a bit. Microwave them each for about 20 seconds or stick them in the oven for a few (make sure they are wrapped in tinfoil if going in the oven).
• Ladle a large spoonful of your homemade enchilada sauce at the bottom of a 13×9 pan. Dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon some chicken mixture in each tortilla and add some cheese if you’d like. Roll the tortilla up as best as possible and place the enchiladas in pan with seam side down. When finished loading the pan, top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes until cheese has melted.

  Side note, that last step is REALLY messy (and no one tells you that). You’re going to get enchilada sauce all over your hand while you’re stuffing and rolling. No worries! Just rinse your hand in between each one and you’ll be fine. A little mess never killed anyone.

I served mine with some fresh avocado slices and a little sour cream. They were a hit! Oh, and if you have any vegetarian or vegan friends, just omit the chicken and/or the cheese. The dish still tastes great!

Love always,
Erica