Chicken Enchiladas



Enchiladas is a Mexican dish where tortillas are filled with a meat or vegetarian filling along with cheese and then arranged in a baking dish over a sauce and then drizzled with more sauce and lots of cheese. A lot like the Lasagne. 

I wanted to share this recipe because a lot of people love lasagne but sometimes you have a hard time getting some lasagne sheets.  So what easier way than to make enchiladas instead. 

I made these a bit spicy with the addition of scotch bonnet peppers.  The corn kernels calm the palate. 
The kids love this and along with a nice leafy green salad, it is a nice satisfying dinner.   You can also make it ahead and cover and keep it in the fridge and bake it about an hour before mealtime.  

I prefer to make tortillas but you can also use leftover Roshi (the local flatbread) , I sometimes notice it tends to fall apart especially if they are rolled out too thin. But you can give it a try with leftover roshi and see how it goes. Ready-made tortillas are also available nowadays in some of the supermarkets.  

So once all the ingredients are at hand, make the enchiladas sauce. Any leftover sauce can be used on pizzas or even as a pasta sauce. 
Once the filling is made and cooled ( don't pile the hot filling on tortillas as they will literally fall apart). 



Place the filling in the centre and then roll the tortilla and place the tortilla, seam side down on the baking dish which is already spread with some of the enchiladas sauce. 


Once all the tortillas are done, spread more sauce on top and then top with cheese. 
Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. 
Remove and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes, sprinkle with some fresh coriander leaves and enjoy! 


Yield: 4
Author: Nammi

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

Filling
  • 2 boneless chicken breast pieces
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • ½ tsp paprika ( optional)
  • Salt
  • ¼ tsp scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 cup corn, frozen or canned
  • ½ medium onion, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
  • Salt
  • Pinch ground black pepper
Sauce
  • 2 tbsp corn or vegetable oil
  • ½ onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • ¼ scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped( if you want more heat make it ½)
  • 1cup tomato pasta sauce or 1 can of peeled tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken stock ( I used a small stock cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
Tortilla
  • 1 ½ cups flour, sifted
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ - ¾ cups hot water
  • 3 tbsp oil ( corn or sunflower)

Instructions

Chicken Filling
  1. Finely chop the chicken, not mince.
  2. Heat a large frying pan with 3 to 4 tbsp oil, add the onions, let it soften a bit and then add the chicken and stir fry on high heat.
  3. Once the chicken starts to colour, reduce heat to medium, add garlic, scotch bonnet pepper and stir fry for a minute. Add the ground spices and a few tablespoons of water and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and a little pepper, taste and adjust.
  4. Stir in corn and fresh coriander. Cool completely. After reserving about 3 tbsp of grated cheese, mix, the remaining cheese into the now-cooled chicken mixture.
Sauce
  1. Heat oil, add the onions, and saute’ until it becomes soft. Add the garlic, and scotch bonnet and saute for a minute, then add the pasta sauce or( tomatoes, crush the tomatoes before adding).
  2. Then stir in stock, sugar, a pinch of salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, and dried oregano. Give a stir, cover and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened to almost half of its quantity.
  3. Cool and blend to a smooth sauce. Set aside.
Tortilla
  1. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.
  2. Mix in salt
  3. Make a well in the centre.
  4. Add oil and then stir in water, a little at a time, mixing in with a metal spoon. Once the dough starts to form, stop adding water and using your hands knead the dough, if too dry add a little more water.
  5. Once you get a nice smooth dough, cover it with a damp cloth and set aside for 15 minutes to rest.
  6. Once the dough has rested divide it into 8 balls, and roll each ball into thin rounds.
  7. Cook on a dry frying pan, as for flatbreads, over medium heat, flipping to cook the other side once air pockets start to rise. Cool.
Assembling and baking the Enchiladas
  1. Take a large rectangular oven dish. (size: 8x12 inch (approximate)
  2. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom, then add a thin layer of enchilada sauce.
  3. Take a tortilla, spoon a generous spoonful of the chicken filling onto the tortilla centre and then roll it up tightly ( see above pictures)
  4. Place the filled tortilla seam-side down in the dish. Repeat the same with the remaining tortillas and chicken filling
  5. Top with more sauce. ( any leftover sauce can be stored in a plastic container in the freezer )
  6. Sprinkle with the reserved grated cheddar and pop into a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 20 to 25 minutes. Make sure the oven is hot before you put your dish inside.
  7. Once cooked, let it rest for 20 minutes, sprinkle some finely chopped coriander on top, and serve with a nice big green leafy salad.
Did you make this recipe?
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Comments

  1. I wish I could dig right in! It looks and sounds so good and comforting, Nammi.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this dish! Haven't made enchiladas for a long time, and you definitely have me craving them now. Nice recipe -- thanks.

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