![Bricklayer-Style Nachos](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/12/27/dining/29nachosrex4/merlin_179172897_0f430a5e-29ae-44c7-8525-2f75dd470b75-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Chicken Enchiladas
![Chicken Enchiladas](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/09/21/multimedia/RM-enchiladas-wmlf/RM-enchiladas-wmlf-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 65 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 55 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 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)
- 2½cups enchilada sauce or from 2 (10-ounce) cans
- 12ounces (3 cups) sharp Cheddar, shredded
- Pico de gallo, for serving (optional)
Preparation
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
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.
Delicious! I made the enchilada sauce linked in the recipe. Fabulous enchilada sauce, reminiscent of mole, very Mexican flavors, not Texas-Mex. Made the enchilada dish in layers with 2 Tbl of vegan cream cheese stirred into the warm chicken tomato sauce. Topped with mixed shredded “Mexican” cheese, cooked 20 minutes to provide a bit of browning to the cheese top. Thanks to all the community for your helpful comments.
This looks awesome. I'm making a batch for my college daughter's food run. Can you cook these straight from the freezer? How long & what temperature?
This is the best enchilada recipe I've made -- with a couple of my own tweaks. I roast chicken strips seasoned with Mexican spice on a sheetpan, 25 minutes at 375. Then prepare the veggies. I use what ever pepper I have on hand - green, red, poblano. About 1 cup chopped. Same for onions and tomato. Love the added garlic. For sauce, I found the organic enchilada sauce from sprouts is the very best. I've used both red or green ; one jar sauce. I make 10 five inch folded enchiladas.
Excellent! I added a 2nd poblano pepper and also layered everything (sauce, tortilla, chicken mixture, tortilla, sauce and cheese) vs rolled . Very good.
I added black beans and corn on top of the enchiladas. Loved it.
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.
Advertisement