Mexican Chicken Enchiladas
From Mexico to Milwaukee: A Recipe for Community and Enchiladas. On this episode of Cooking with Milwaukee Community Leaders, host Charlie sits down with Diana Billstrom. She is a Mexican-born community leader who has worked extensively in nonprofit family services. She is also the Senior Director for Growth and Strategic Partnerships at the Wisconsin Latino Chamber.
Diana shares her personal journey. She discusses her career path. Her mission is to build trust and partnerships that support Hispanic businesses and the wider community.
You can also listen to the podcast version of this interview and cooking episode –
The episode also features a hands-on cooking segment. Diana demonstrates her chicken enchiladas with a guajillo-ancho tomato sauce. She offers simple tips for making quick, family-friendly meals. She also discusses inclusion, community engagement, and her vision for the Chamber.
Mexican Chicken Enchiladas or Enchiladas Rojas (Red Enchiladas) or a specific regional style! It is traditional to dip the tortilla in the sauce before filling and baking. This step is important to make authentic, non-gringo enchiladas.
🌶️ Traditional Mexican Chicken Enchiladas (Dipping Method)
The goal of dipping the tortilla is to make it pliable and soft. This prevents it from cracking when rolled. It also infuses it deeply with the chile flavor. Additionally, it prevents the tortilla from absorbing excessive fat. This happens during a brief fry, which is the next traditional step, but sometimes skipped.
1. The Key Ingredient: The Sauce (Salsa Roja)
This is the heart of the dish and dictates the flavor.
Ingredients: Make the sauce from dried chiles. It most commonly includes a blend of Ancho. Ancho provides a fruity, deep red color. Guajillo adds sharpness and some color. You can also add a small amount of spicy Arbol.
Preparation: Toast the chiles and then soak them in hot water. Blend with ingredients like garlic, onion, and cumin. Add Mexican oregano. We add two Roma Tomatoes. Strain the sauce and simmer to develop the flavor.
2. The Tortilla Dipping and Frying Process for Mexican Chicken Enchiladas
This step is crucial for texture and flavor:
The Dip: Dip the corn tortilla completely into the warm (or hot) chile sauce. It should be fully coated and allowed to absorb the sauce for a few seconds.
The Fry (Traditional): Right after dipping, you place the sauced tortilla in a skillet. It should go through a small amount of hot oil. Cook it for just a few seconds on each side.
Why? This sets the sauce onto the tortilla. It makes the tortilla incredibly pliable and slightly crispy. It prevents it from getting mushy when baked.
The Alternative (Skip the Fry): Many home cooks opt for a lighter version by skipping the fry. They simply dip the tortilla in the sauce, wipe off the excess, and move straight to filling.
3. The Filling and Assembly of the Mexican Chicken Enchiladas
The Filling: Traditional chicken enchiladas are typically filled with shredded, cooked chicken breast or thighs. Season with salt, pepper, and onion or garlic powder. Sometimes, the chicken is mixed with a little of the chile sauce or some cheese before rolling.
Rolling: Fill the sauced (and fried) tortilla with the chicken and roll it up tightly.
4. The Finish
Baking (Optional): The rolled enchiladas are usually arranged snugly in a baking dish. Some people add a little more sauce and cheese on top. They then bake them briefly until the cheese melts. This ensures the dish is heated through.
Serving: Then top with:
Crumbled Cotija or shredded Queso Fresco.
Chopped white onion.
Sometimes sour cream or crema Mexicana.
Mexican Chicken Enchiladas – Enchiladas Rojas
Equipment
- 2 pans or griddles
- 1 Blender or Food Processor
Materials
- 2 whole Roma tomatoes
- 4 Guajillo chiles dried
- 4 Ancho chiles dried
- 2 Fresh garlic cloves
- 1 tsp each salt, pepper, cumin, and whole cloves
- 8 Corn tortillas
- 4 tsp Vegetable oil divided in half
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 Roma tomato diced
- 1 rotisserie chicken shredded
- Sour cream for topping
- Queso fresco for topping
- 2 Avocados sliced for topping
- Shredded Lettuce for topping
- Cooked Jasmine rice optional
Instructions
- Cut the tops off of dried chiles and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover.
- Add the whole tomatoes to the saucepan
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Drain water and place chiles & tomatoes into a food processor or blender with garlic and 1 tsp each salt, pepper, cumin, and whole cloves
- Purée red sauce until smooth.
- Press red sauce through a strainer and set aside.
- Heat 2 tsp oil in a sauté pan.
- Add the chopped onions and tomatoes and sauté for 5-8 minutes, until soft.
- Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, heat and toss to mix.
- Heat oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat.
- Dip each tortilla in the red sauce, then place in the hot oil.
- Turn over almost immediately and fry for about 5 seconds on the other side.
- Remove dipped tortilla to a serving plate
- Take one fried tortilla at a time and fill with about 2 tbsp of the chicken/onion/tomato mixture
- Roll up and place seam side down on a plate.
- Top tortillas in the following order: Start with a small handful of the shredded lettuce, 2 tbsp of queso fresco, and sliced avocados.
- Serve with rice on the side as well as sour cream, if desired.
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If you like this recipe, Mexican Chicken Enchiladas or Enchiladas Rojas, you will also enjoy trying another one. It is our recipe for Clam Linguine.
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I discovered a new way to make enchiladas