Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Inspired by King’s Move In - New York, NY

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I work in admissions for a small college in New York City. Our students recently returned but will have to remain in strict quarantine for 14 days before being allowed to wander about the city or campus. To keep our students occupied, several staff members hosted a few fun classes and I of course taught a cooking class. Unlike most college students, our students have access to a full kitchen and are expected to cook for themselves. Because of this, I decided to highlight a few items that, while still needing a kitchen, are far more impressive than your typical mac and cheese or spaghetti and pasta sauce. These enchiladas may not be as authentic as I usually aim for but they are easy enough for a college student to handle and absolutely delicious. You’ll need some spices and be willing to get your hands dirty, but otherwise the heart of this dish is a cheap rotisserie chicken found in almost every grocery store. I whipped these up for my class in about 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

ROJA ENCHILADA SAUCE (Makes 1 dozen enchiladas):

  • 2 TBS unsalted butter

  • 2 TBS canola oil

  • ½ cup diced onion

  • 3 TBS flour

  • 2 TBS chili powder

  • 1 tsp salt

  • ½ tsp pepper

  • ½ tsp Mexican oregano

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 2 TBS tomato paste

  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth

ENCHILADAS (Make 1 dozen enchiladas):

  • 1 whole rotisserie chicken, meat shredded

  • 8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (but see my note)

  • 12 corn tortillas

  • ¼ cup canola oil

  • Sour cream or creama (optional for topping)

  • Cilantro (optional for topping)

GO FOR IT

ROJA ENCHILADA SAUCE:

  1. In a sauce pan, heat butter and oil over medium heat

  2. Add diced onion and sauté until soft and are beginning to brown (about 3 to 4 minutes)

  3. Add flour, chili powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and cayenne and stir in incorporate for another 3 or 4 minutes (you are making a roux and want your flour to cook in well or it will gritty)

  4. Add garlic and tomato paste and stir until combined

  5. Add chicken broth and turn heat to high as you whisk everything together

  6. When liquid starts simmering, turn heat down and keep at a simmer for 10 minutes

  7. After 10 minutes, remove from heat and use an immersion blender or blender to purée sauce, then set aside

ENCHILADA ASSEMBLY:

  1. If you haven’t already, shred your chicken and discard skin and bones and also preheat oven to 375°F

  2. In a skillet, heat canola oil over high heat until shimmering (FYI - I do steps 2 and 3 while the sauce is simmering to save time)

  3. One at a time, fry tortillas in oil for no more than 3 or 4 seconds per side, then set aside on a plate as you finish all tortillas (frying makes the tortillas more flexible so they don’t break while rolling)

  4. In a baking dish, pour in some of the enchilada sauce and then place in a tortilla and cover it in sauce on both sides

  5. Place some chicken in the middle of sauce covered tortillas, add some cheese, then roll into an enchilada and rest seam side down in the dish

  6. Repeat until all your enchiladas are in the dish, then top with more sauce and then top with more shredded cheese

  7. Place in 375°F oven for 10 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbling

NOTES:

When I made these for my college class, I used Monterrey Jack cheese because it’s easily available, cheap, and familiar to your average student. However, when I made these again I used Queso Blanco for the enchilada filling and Oaxaca for the topping to keep these a bit more authentic. And you know what? They were good this way and definitely more authentic Mexican, but I have to say that I prefer the Monterrey Jack. In my opinion it’s a bit more Tex-Mex. The American based cheese is a bit creamier and sweeter and blends incredibly with the roja enchilada sauce. It’s all to your preference. Both ways are great but I’ll stick with my students for this one.

I told my students that blending the sauce at the end was optional but it really does help to have that consistency. However, if you want consistency but don’t have a blender then here’s my suggestion - skip the onion and minced garlic altogether and add in 1 TBS onion powder and ½ TBS of garlic powder. It won’t retain some of the sweetness from the fresh stuff but if you’re looking for an easy out, this is it.

This is my 3rd recipe for enchiladas on this site but it won’t be my last. I absolutely love them. Next time I will look at making a roja from scratch by using dried chilies but for now I hope this quick and easy version comes out as good for you as it did for me.