Try these flavourfully spicy baked Chicken Enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce prepared in a few minutes. Marination: A proper overnight marination of boneless chicken breasts is necessary to let in all the flavours from selective spices into the meat, so when you roast it, they're tender and bursting with taste. The Sauce: Definitely, getting the best of flavours in the enchilada sauce is only possible when you make it at home, its fresh and quickly whipped from regular ingredients that are always found in your fridge. Trust me you only need some basic spices and its done in minutes. Layering & folding: Although there are no rules to layering when it comes to enchiladas because everything on going inside a wrap. But if you combine most complimenting flavours closer like I did here, you get the best enchiladas ever made and every single bite is worth the effort. Also keep stuffing at the middle so it is easier to fold in around corners and ending in neat wraps.
Equipment
- frying pan
- baking dish
- sauce pan
Ingredients
For Marination (overnight)
- 3 boneless chicken breasts (washed and cut into pieces)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chicken masala (or any meat masala)
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 -1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh curd/yogurt
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
For enchilada sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2-3 tbsp red chilli powder (adjust heat as per preference)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1-1/2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock water
- 1/3 cup tomato puree or passata
Other ingredients
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 4-5 kalamata olives (cut into wedges)
- 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves (chopped finely)
- 1 pickled jalapeno sliced
- crushed black and white pepper
- 8 tortilla wraps (use soft dough)
Instructions
Preparing the chicken for filling
- Heat a shallow non stick frying pan at medium-high flame and add the marinated chicken, spread all pieces side by side all over the pan and cover and cook at medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, keep flipping them every 4-5 minutes to avoid burning.
- If you see the moisture drying up before the pieces are tender, add 1-2 tbsp of water around the sides of the pan and lower the flame to let it cook until tender then turn off the heat and leave on the lid to let the chicken steam for 4-5 minutes. Later on shred the pieces using a folk and mix it all together, keep aside.
Preparing Enchilada sauce
- Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepan, then add flour to create a roux, use a whisk to avoid lumps, stir for a minute at low flame
- Now mix together all dry spices, salt, sugar and herbs in a small cup and add them to the roux, mix for a few seconds then add the passata and stock water while you keep stirring the mix slowly, keep the flame low.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens, turn off the heat and add vinegar and lime juice, mix up and keep aside. You can store this in an airtight container inside refrigerator for up to 5 days
Preparing the enchiladas
- Preheat oven at 176°c and grease the baking dish with a little oil or butter
- Spread the enchilada sauce all over the tortilla wrap and top with shredded chicken, few olives, pickled jalapeños and some grated cheese, fold to make a roll and stack within the baking dish. Repeat for all tortillas.
- Top the stack of tortillas with a generous spread of enchilada sauce and cheese, then bake for 15 minutes until the cheese on top is melted. Use coriander leaves and sour cream along with some crushed pepper to garnish. Enjoy warm with nachos.