The Most Insane Enchiladas

My Cinco de Mayo gift to you.

THESE ENCHILADAS.

So freaking good.

It was Fall 2010 and I was craving enchiladas.

These were perfect first try. Don’t know how.

Very spicy and a little sweet, just the way I think enchiladas should be. Most enchilada recipes don’t call for as much sugar, but adding more balances the super spicy flavors.

Don’t make these for the kids. But go make them now.

They will go perfectly with that Margarita in your hand.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

Filling:

  • 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
  • 1 can of corn, drained (I use the white and yellow mix)
  • 1/2 a large sweet onion, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
Enchilada Sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes with sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 jalapeños, chopped (keep the seeds if you like spicy)
  • 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 8 -10 flour tortillas
  • 2 cups of cheese, I use monterey jack or a mexican blend
  • butter or oil to grease the baking dishes
  • cilantro (optional)
  • lime wedges (optional)

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Make the sauce: In a pot sauté over medium heat the oil. Then add half of the onion, the jalapeños, and the garlic (seasoned with salt and pepper to taste) and sauté for 7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, water, chili powder, cumin, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. The sauce should bubble gently. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken to the sauce, cook in the sauce for 15 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Fish the chicken out of the sauce with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Set aside.

Reduce the sauce heat to low and continue to cook.

Make the filling: Shred the chicken by using two forks . I usually stab a piece with one fork and use the other to pull pieces of the chicken chunk off.

In a pan sauté the other half of the onion (salt and pepper to taste) for 5 minutes on medium high heat. Add the corn and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add the shredded chicken and sauté for 3 minutes. Set aside off the heat.

In a food processor or blender, blend the enchilada sauce until smooth.

Assemble the enchiladas: Grease a 9×13 baking dish, or 2 smaller. Place the tortillas on a plate with a paper towel. Splash the paper towel with water then microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds. This helps their moldability when you go to roll them.

Prepare an assembly area. Fill 1 tortilla with a few large spoonfuls of chicken-corn-onion mix, roll it up tightly, and place (starting at one end) in the baking dish. Continue until the pan is full and filling is gone.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas. You want them covered on top and you want some of it to leak to the bottom and the sides. I like to keep them covered BUT not fully swimming in the sauce. I usually peek through the glass on the bottom and make sure you can see the white of each tortilla. This ensures the bottoms get a little crunchy (not soggy) in the oven. You might have left over sauce that you can serve on the side.

Top the enchiladas with the cheese and cover loosely with foil. (I had not covered them yet in the picture below)

Put the enchiladas in the oven for 15 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 5-10 depending on how toasted you like the cheese. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and serve.

Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc. if you so desire. We usually just eat them “as is.”

They are that good.

::: keelymarie :::

4 Replies to “The Most Insane Enchiladas”

  1. My Favorite!! You gave me this recipe about a year ago. I have made them probably 4 times since and they are a hit every time. An easy meal for big groups but also fantastic as leftovers! So glad you finally blogged these

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