The Real Deal Authentic Homemade Enchiladas
photo by KateL
- Ready In:
- 3hrs
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Yields:
-
6 Enchilidas
- Serves:
- 6
ingredients
- 2 bone-in and skin-on chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 -5 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more for topping (optional)
- kosher salt
- 2 lbs plum tomatoes
- 1 -2 serrano chili pepper, stemmed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1/2 cup for frying
- 1 large white onion, 2/3 diced, 1/3 sliced into rings
- 1⁄2 cup Mexican crema (optional) or 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for topping (optional)
- 12 corn tortillas, preferably white
- 3⁄4 cup crumbled queso fresco
directions
- Put the chicken in a medium pot with 3 cups water, the broth, garlic, bay leaves and cilantro; season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer, turning the chicken as needed, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Discard the bay leaves and cilantro and reserve the broth and garlic.
- Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Put the tomatoes and chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, turning, until charred, about 12 minutes. Wrap in the foil to catch any juices, then cool slightly. Peel the chiles and transfer to a blender with the tomatoes and collected juices. Remove the garlic from the broth, add to the blender and puree until smooth.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and stir in the tomato-chile puree and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the reserved broth and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook about 20 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt; keep the sauce warm. *note- it took me a lot longer than 20 minutes, more like 40 to thicken this sauce. Cook it until it feels like sauce to you. It can be runny, but should not be thin.
- Discard the chicken skin and shred the meat. Toss the chicken with the crema and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Soak the sliced onion in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the enchiladas.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1 cup of the tomato-chile sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry a tortilla until puffed, about 15 seconds per side, turning with tongs. Quickly spoon 2 tablespoons chicken onto the tortilla, roll it up and put seam-side down in the baking dish. Fry and fill the remaining tortillas, arranging them side by side in the dish.
- Pour 2 cups of the tomato-chile sauce over the enchiladas and top with the queso fresco. Bake until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Drain the sliced onion and scatter over the enchiladas. Divide among plates and top with more cilantro, sauce and crema, if desired.
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Reviews
-
A Walk on the Wild Side for me, but I loved these! Step 1: the chicken came out moist and delicious. but my favorite way to cook chicken and get some chicken broth is Recipe #369106. Step 2: the most daring part for me: I had 2 jalapeno peppers (couldn't get serrano peppers) and that took the sauce to "2-Alarms", the maximum amount of heat DH and I can tolerate. For the tomatoes, I used the whole tomatoes from 2 28-oz. cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes, reserving the tomato juice for some miscellaneous liquid requirement. The sauce tasted "finished", not canned, yippee! Step 3: here is where I wish I had 3 cups chicken broth from Recipe#369106 for fuller flavor (although there is so much flavor in the sauce as written). I found that 1 hr. 30 minutes of simmering was needed to develop a thick sauce, and I would do the same next time. Step 4: Couldn't find Mexican crema, but Chowhound folks insist that crème fraiche is very similar; I was very happy that I used crème fraiche instead of ubiquitous grocery store sour cream. Step5: made me tremble and procrastinate, but once I used my small sauté pan and made sure that the vegetable oil had reached a very high temperature, this step was a piece of cake. Step 6: well, I forgot to add the sliced onions that had been chilling in the refrigerator, but I was thrilled with my enchilada! Made for Please Review My Recipe tag game.
Tweaks
-
A Walk on the Wild Side for me, but I loved these! Step 1: the chicken came out moist and delicious. but my favorite way to cook chicken and get some chicken broth is Recipe #369106. Step 2: the most daring part for me: I had 2 jalapeno peppers (couldn't get serrano peppers) and that took the sauce to "2-Alarms", the maximum amount of heat DH and I can tolerate. For the tomatoes, I used the whole tomatoes from 2 28-oz. cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes, reserving the tomato juice for some miscellaneous liquid requirement. The sauce tasted "finished", not canned, yippee! Step 3: here is where I wish I had 3 cups chicken broth from Recipe#369106 for fuller flavor (although there is so much flavor in the sauce as written). I found that 1 hr. 30 minutes of simmering was needed to develop a thick sauce, and I would do the same next time. Step 4: Couldn't find Mexican crema, but Chowhound folks insist that crème fraiche is very similar; I was very happy that I used crème fraiche instead of ubiquitous grocery store sour cream. Step5: made me tremble and procrastinate, but once I used my small sauté pan and made sure that the vegetable oil had reached a very high temperature, this step was a piece of cake. Step 6: well, I forgot to add the sliced onions that had been chilling in the refrigerator, but I was thrilled with my enchilada! Made for Please Review My Recipe tag game.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Dantana
212
<p>I love to cook! But I don't do the weekday cooking, that is done by my awesome wife. I cook on the weekends and especially on our 'cheat day'- meaning every Sunday as we adapt to this low carb life. We have been doing this for a while and we really love to get those heart-stopping, brain-freezing receipes that low carbers crave throught the week. </p>
<p>Since the start of the year, I've lost 25 pounds and I'm hoping to lose more, but along the way I want to learn how to cheat really, REALLY good. Most of my cheat receipies come from here!</p>