Creamy Enchiladas

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These creamy enchiladas make a great simple weeknight meal.  I used meat shredded from a rotisserie chicken and basic ingredients found in my pantry.   Give this a flavor boost by making homemade enchilada sauce.  I prefer authentic Mexican enchiladas made with corn tortillas, but this recipe with flour tortillas and a cream sauce is great if you are looking for comfort food.  Serve with re-fried beans and rice.  Note, this dish tastes better than it looks.

For the recipe, and detailed instructions…

Creamy Enchiladas

  • 8 flour tortillas
  • 2 cups cooked chicken*, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, Mexican blend
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 cup canned diced green chiles
  • 10 oz Enchilada Sauce, recipe below, or 1 can.
  • 1/2 cup cheese for topping

Homemade Enchilada Sauce (Spicy New Mexico Chile version)

  • 2 Dried New Mexico chilies**, seeds and veins removed
  • One 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes***
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 of a red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, mix together chicken, shredded cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, diced green chilies   Divide eight ways and fill the flour tortillas.  Roll tortillas tight around filling and place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Set aside.

To make the enchilada sauce, remove the stem, veins and seeds from the dried chilies   (If you are using canned enchilada sauce you can skip this section).  Place in a small saucepan on high heat.  Cook until aromatic, or until the skin starts to burn slightly.  Pour can of diced tomatoes with juice into a blender.  Add the toasted chilies to the blender.  Using the same small saucepan, heat olive oil and cook the onion and garlic on medium heat until the onions are almost translucent.  Remove  the onions and garlic from the saucepan and place into the blender.  Puree until smooth.  Pour the mixture back into the saucepan through a strainer to remove any seeds or tomato skins.  Cook the mixture on low and season with 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon sugar, along with salt and pepper to taste.  *I prefer to use shredded chicken from a roasted chicken. **For a milder version use guajillo dried chilies and use ***regular canned tomatoes.

Coat the filled tortillas in enchilada sauce and sprinkle remaining cheese over the enchilada sauce.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking.  Sauce should be hot and bubbly and cheese should be melted when removed from the oven.

Ingredients for creamy enchiladas and homemade enchilada sauce.

Mix up filling for the enchiladas.  If you do not like spicy foods use just 1/4 cup mild green chiles.

Mix filling, divide into eight sections and fill flour tortillas.

Remove stem, seeds and veins from the chilies.  Do not be afraid to experiment with dried chilies in your cookie.  They add so much flavor!  If you do not like spicy foods replace New Mexico chilies with guajillo chilies.

Toast the chilies in a small, heavy duty saucepan until aromatic and until the skin starts to wither.  Do not overcook the chilies.  They should be slightly browned, not charred.

Pour the Fire roasted tomatoes into the blender, then place the toasted chilies on top of the tomatoes.  If you do not like spicy foods use regular diced tomatoes.

Roughly chop 1/4 of an onion (today I am using red onion, next time I make this it could be yellow or white onion.)  Chop three cloves of garlic.

Heat one Tablespoon olive oil and saute onions and garlic on medium heat.

Cook until caramelized.

Place the caramelized garlic and onion in the blender with the diced tomatoes and dried chilies.

Blend the ingredients and you almost have enchilada sauce.

Pour through a strainer into the same small saucepan   This step removes unwanted seeds and tomato skins.  If this were an authentic Mexican kitchen there would be hot oil in the saucepan used to cook the enchilada sauce.

Cook on low heat to allow the sauce to thicken slightly, then season with 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.  If I had it, I could add a bit of cilantro at this step.

Just before baking, cover the filled tortillas with enchilada sauce.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the enchilada sauce.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking.  Sauce should be hot and bubbly and cheese should be melted when removed from the oven.

It looks really gross.  But it’s not.  What is it that makes savory foods so hard to photograph?

Serve with re-fried beans and simple cilantro rice.  Provecho!