Mexican

Authentic Chicken Enchiladas

Chef: John

These chicken enchiladas are sure to be crowd pleasers! Made with dried chiles and filled with juicy all white meat chicken, you are sure to leave your guests wishing they had more!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Allspice
  • 8oz Mild Cheddar Cheese, shredded
  • 3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 3 Tbsp Butter
  • 2 cups Whole Milk
  • 2 lb. Chicken Breast
  • 8-12 Flour Tortillas (medium)
  • 12-16oz Oaxaca Cheese
  • 3 Poblano Peppers, halved
  • 2 Dried Pasilla Chiles
  • 12 Dried Guajillo Chiles
  • 2 Dried Ancho Chiles
  • 2 Roma Tomatoes, halved
  • 1 Large Oniion, quartered
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Mexican Oregano
  • 4 Cloves of Garlic
  • 2 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 Tbsp Mexican Oregano, finely ground

Instructions

  • 1Cut, de-seed and de-stem all of the dried chiles, then place them in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Dry roast for approximately 5 minutes or just before they start to smoke.
  • 2Douse the chiles with water, then add the halved roma tomatoes, quartered yellow onion, 4 whole garlic cloves and approximately 2 teaspoons of ground Mexican Oregano. Drop the heat to a simmer.
  • 3Butterfly your chicken breasts (approximately 5-6) and submerge them into the mixture. Let the entire pan simmer for about 15 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F internal at the thickest point.
  • 4Once the chicken has reached the target temperature, remove the chicken, then transfer the rest of the solid contents to a blender, along with 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add the liquid from the pan until barely covered, and blend on high until fully emulsified. Add more liquid as needed to obtain your desired saucy texture - this should not be too thin, but should still be easily pourable. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside for later use.
  • 5Shred the chicken and set aside for later use.
  • 6Half 3 large poblano peppers. Char/roast in pan in a 400°F oven or over an open grill flame until the skin is blackened. Once the skin is charred and bubbly, set aside in an aluminum foil pouch with 1/4 cup of water until cool.
  • 7Once cool to the touch, put on some gloves and remove the peppers. You should be able to rub the outer membrane of skin off the pepper, leaving a mushy, green pepper behind. Remove the outer membrane/skin from all peppers then slice into small cubes.
  • 8Mix the cubes of Poblano and shredded chicken generously, drizzling a bit of sauce over the mixture just so it changes color.
  • 9Set aside the chicken to start on the cheese sauce. Grab a pot and put over low/medium heat.
  • 10Add 3 tablespoons of flour, 3 tablespoons of butter to a pan, then slowly stream in 2 cups of milk while stirring vigorously until you are left with a white, creamy sauce.
  • 11Lower the heat to low, and fold in approximately 8 oz of shredded mild/medium yellow cheddar. You should stir the sauce over the cheese so you incorporate it into the mixture, a little at a time. Do not put more than about a small handful in at once, stirring/folding until fully incorporated before adding another small handful. Do this until all of the cheese is thoroughly incorporated, then remove from heat.
  • 12It's now time to assemble! Set out a 9x13 pan, along with your medium flour tortillas, chicken and poblano mixture, enchilada sauce from earlier, and the cheese sauce.
  • 13Take out approximately 16 ounces of Oaxaca cheese, and pull apart until stringy.
  • 14Assembly: grab a flour tortilla, dip it in your sauce, then place in the 9x13 pan. Add a generous scoop of chicken/poblano mixture, followed by a couple of strings of Oaxaca (this is to your liking). Roll the tortilla up moderately tight, making sure not to tear, and set against the edge of the pan. Do this until the pan is full or until you are out of tortillas. 10-12 medium flour tortillas should cover an entire 9x13 pan.
  • 15Drizzle your cheese sauce over the tops of your assembled enchiladas, making sure to cover them moderately, but not drown them. Follow that with a drizzle of your sauce, and sprinkle more of the shredded mild cheddar to your liking.
  • 16Cover your 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly, just before it turns brown.

Keywords:

enchiladas

mexican

chicken