Chicken Enchilada Recipe with Three Cheese Chipotle Sauce

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Enchilada Recipe with Three Cheese Chipotle Sauce

Cinco de Mayo Spicy Chicken Enchiladas Recipes are in high demand, these Three Cheese Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas topping the 'popular list!'

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: enchiladas

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $0.59 per enchilada

Equipment

Ingredients

for the shredded chicken

1 (8 to 10) ounce chicken breast
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika hot or sweet

for the enchiladas

3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
12 8-inch yellow corn tortillas
2 cups chicken stock homemade if available
1 large sweet onion diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic fresh; chopped
1 can chipotles in adobo sauce finely chopped; NOTE: I use a single chipotle for this recipe, but you can go as hot as you like given each can contains 6 to 8 chipotles; freeze any unused chipotles in their sauce
½ cup heavy cream
1 ounce (a single sachet) dry ranch seasoning divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese shredded
¼ cup smoked Gruyere cheese shredded

optional

cilantro fresh
green onions fresh, chopped

Instructions

cook the chicken

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and smoked paprika. Mix well. Dry chicken very well with paper toweling and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with spice mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165°F and the juices are running clear. Remove from the oven and wrap in the foil it was baked on to let rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Use two forks to shred the chicken breast into very fine shreds, rewrap loosely in the foil, and set aside. Reduce the oven heat to 350°F.

for the enchiladas

Spray cooking spray to coat the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch casserole or glass baking dish. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Ensure the oil is shimmering before adding tortillas the pan. Fry for 30 to 45 seconds, then flip and fry another 5 to 10 seconds. Remove to a plate and continue with the remaining tortillas. Do not brown or crisp the tortillas; they need only to be pliable for rolling.
To the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and again bring to a shimmer of medium heat. Add in the onions and sauté for 2 to 3 until softened. Add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the shredded chicken, half the finely chopped chipotle and adobo sauce, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and the heavy cream. Bring mixture to a bubble. Add 2 tablespoons of dry ranch seasoning and whisk to incorporate. TASTE! If you desire additional heat, increase the amount of chopped chipotle and adobo sauce in 1 teaspoon increments. Keep in mind you will have chopped chipotles in the cheese sauce, so add sparingly.
In a separate large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over the surface and cook, whisking for several minutes until the mixture is crumbly in texture and appears golden in color. Mixture will smell nutty, and the raw flour smell will be gone. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth and the other half of the chopped chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Reduce the heat slightly and whisk in heavy cream, some sour cream, and additional ranch seasoning. Add 3/4 cups of Monterey Jack, 1/2 cup Cheddar, and 1/4 cup smoked Gruyere cheeses and whisk to incorporate. TASTE! If you desire additional heat, increase the chopped chipotle and adobo sauce by 1 teaspoon increments. Keep in mind that you have already added chopped chipotles to the chicken filling, so add sparingly.
Toss all of the remaining shredded cheeses together in a large bowl and place beside your prepared casserole dish. Place a tortilla in one hand and use the other to spoon some chicken mixture in a line right down the center of each tortilla. Top with a pinch of cheese and roll the tortilla around the filling. Place enchiladas seam side down in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Bake the enchiladas for 15 to 18 minutes. If the tortillas smell toasty, with a few browned or darkened spots, you're doing it right.
Remove the casserole from the oven. Pour the cheese sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle any remaining shredded cheese over the sauce. Place back into the oven for 5 minutes. Turn your oven's broil feature on and allow the cheese to bubble and slightly brown, about 3 to 5 minutes more.
Garnish with fresh cilantro or chopped green onion.

Notes

Please Note that table salt and iodized salt are NOT substitutions for Kosher salt. Do not use table salt or iodized salt in any of the recipes you find on Not Entirely Average UNLESS specified otherwise.

Pro Tip: Use a spoon to 'draw' a line in the pan, halving the chicken mixture. Then, halve each half. From each quadrant, equally spoon one third of the filling into each tortilla. Portioning the chicken ahead of filling the tortillas ensures each enchilada is more or less filled evenly and there is no filling remaining.

Refrigerate unused portions in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at medium power for 1 to 2 minutes.

Nutrition