Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
65 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Rating
4(966)
Notes
Read community notes

With the help of rotisserie or roast chicken and easy, premade (or canned) enchilada sauce, these American Southwest-inspired enchiladas are ready in about an hour. Make them vegetarian by substituting the chicken with roasted vegetables, such as summer or winter squash, eggplant or mushrooms. For extra flavor and texture, add some fresh cilantro, or chopped raw onion or jalapeño to the filling before you roll up the enchiladas. Pre-shredded cheese (preferably Cheddar or a Mexican blend) will help get this meal on the table even faster.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • ¼cup vegetable oil
  • 12(6-inch) corn tortillas
  • ½medium white onion, chopped
  • 1medium poblano or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2large tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 2cups cooked shredded chicken (from a roast chicken or rotisserie chicken)
  • cups enchilada sauce or from 2 (10-ounce) cans
  • 12ounces (3 cups) sharp Cheddar, shredded
  • Pico de gallo, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

560 calories; 37 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 858 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Using 2 tablespoons of the oil, lightly brush both sides of each tortilla. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high and, working in batches, cook tortillas until lightly browned and just starting to crisp but still pliable, 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. (This will prevent the tortillas from completely falling apart while cooking.) Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high and cook onion, poblano, garlic, tomatoes and juices, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until most of the liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to stick to the skillet, 9 to 11 minutes. Stir in chicken, ½ cup enchilada sauce and ½ teaspoon salt until combined and just warmed through; remove from heat. Taste and season with additional salt, if necessary.

  3. Step 3

    Pour ½ cup enchilada sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, spreading to cover the bottom. Working one at a time, arrange a scant ¼ cup of chicken down the center of the tortilla, roll to secure the filling and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken, making sure they’re nestled right up against each other.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, then scatter cheese on top. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is just beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm topped with pico de gallo, if desired. For leftovers, divide remaining enchiladas into portions of 2 or 3; wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, seal and freeze for up to 3 months.

Ratings

4 out of 5
966 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Im too lazy to bother rolling so I just stack them. Tortilla on the bottom, filling, tortilla, sauce, cheese, and bake.

Chiles Poblanos, never green bell peppers.

I have made enchiladas like this numerous times, and they are delicious. I would make one recommendation. If making ahead or to freeze, dip each tortilla into the sauce, roll up, and place in dish as instructed. Then, keep the remaining sauce separate and pour it on and top with cheese just prior to cooking. Otherwise, the sauce soaks into the tortillas to the point of causing the final product to be very dry.

Family tradition is to make these these Thanksgiving weekend with left-over turkey. They are a nice break from the typical Thanksgiving leftovers and they freeze beautifully.

This is a fantastic recipe. Flavors are balanced in the sauce. (not too much cumin!!!) I used Mennonite or Chihuahua cheese. Fantastic as all Rick Martinez recipes, clearly explained, accurate, and delicious!

We are very fond of Trader Joe's bottled enchilada sauce. As an alternative serving garnish, try a daub of sour cream or a drizzle of Mexican creama and a few slices of ripe avocado.

I made this except used shredded zucchini and potatoes with the chicken as filling. It was really good. I roasted some chicken tenderloins. Followed the recipe other than that.

So easy and satisfying! The partial cooking of the tortillas is crucial to both taste and texture. We used Hatch brand medium red enchilada sauce and added some canned jalapeños, celery and extra garlic to the vegetables. A rougher chop results in a pleasant chunkiness. Olé!

I stack the tortillas, and omit Step 1. Been doing it this way for years. The tortillas don't fall apart.

You can turn this into a vegetarian recipe by substituting black beans or refried pinto beans for the chicken. If you like beans, it is just as delicious as with the chicken.

Delicious! Don’t worry if all you have are the 4 inch tortillas, just prep 20 instead of 12. I also double decker stacked in my smaller casserole dish. It all worked out tastily, albeit it took me an hour or so to make this. Worth it!

Add shredded cheese and salsa to the chicken and then roll it in a flour tortilla (I hate corn ones). Otherwise the recipe looks good.

Ms. Chapman - Sure, enchiladas and burritos can have similar insides, but if it's rolled up in a corn tortilla, it's not a burrito.

To emphasize the Davebarnes note from last fall - never, never, EVER substitute green bell peppers (blegh) for poblanos in a Mexican recipe. Green bells may have their place ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯?) but not here.

A trick I learned from a Texan. You don't need to individually roll the enchiladas. You can layer with them or cut them into strips and mix into a casserole.

These are so delicious! I used one red bell pepper and a jalapeño.

This is a really tasty dish! I am not a fan of expensive rotisserie chicken is so I have a 14 in 1 Ninja and used the pressure setting for 10 minutes to cook a large chicken breast.I did tenderize the breast using a multi prong tenderizer tool before pressure cooking. I placed the breast on a rack in the Ninja to prevent burning to the bottom and poured in 1 cup water which does not touch the meat. I ended up with a super tender chicken, easy to pull apart with a pair of forks.

Tastes good, and appreciate the notes of what to make beforehand when it moves quickly. Was a lot more steps, plates, utensils and time than orginally seemed... Would say this is a meddium on the easy to hard scale, more so because of time management and know what works for your situation than for the recipe itself.

Use like waaaaaay more enchilada sauce than they recommend if you don’t want them to be dry. I end up using almost double.

Use less cheese.

Made these vegan with Whole Foods vegan chicken pieces and vegan cheddar and they were delicious!

Add black beans

Very good, straightforward recipe. Not a company dish, but good family meal. Followed directions. Do prep first. Nothing complicated. Baked in blue glass Pyrex dish. Can do it a bit ahead because bakes in oven.

Very good. Do all the chopping first. Directions are clear, and things worked. Baked in large blue glass Pyrex 8 by 13 pan. Start prep early, because you can have everything sit for awhile before baking. I used cans of enchilada sauce, and pre-grated cheddar.

This was a huge hit with my husband last night! We poached the chicken and added feta to the filling for some extra creaminess. I used Calabrian chili powder when I made the enchilada sauce, and that added a good amount of heat to the dish.

Tasty, straightforward recipe. I used the NYT recipe for the sauce. I used flour tortillas instead of corn (personal preference) and it came together nicely. Refried beans would be a great addition.

A-mazing! The whole family loved this dinner! I took the advice of another member and stacked the layer instead of rolling. This one is definitely a keeper!

I made this exactly as directed, including the homemade enchilada sauce, and it was fantastic. The only thing I would do differently when, not if, I make this again would be to wait to pour the enchilada sauce over the top until it's ready to go in the oven. I made it a few hours ahead of baking it off and think waiting on the sauce would have been better. Fortunately, the direction on slightly crisping up the tortillas saved it from getting too mushy.

FYI, if you are looking for fresh pablano peppers in California markets, they are going to be labeled "pasilla peppers."

From another recipe: "stacked tortillas rather than rolled, is known in Sonora as “enchiladas chatas,” flat enchiladas"

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