Enchilada is essentially a tortilla that is rolled with a filling and covered with spicy sauce and cheese. If you are bored with Nachos try Enchiladas!
Feel free to add to the recipe below. You could use meat or make it vegetarian! You can have it mild or spicy! (I personally love spice….. chili n cheese….. a winning combination for me!)
The Spicy Enchilada Sauce
I choose to make my own enchilada sauce. You could use your favourite store bought enchilada sauce if you wish. This is the perfect enchilada sauce. I adapted a recipe by Donna Matthews who got this recipe from someone who was raised in Mexico City. I have to admit…. the coco powder makes all the difference!
Beware of the chilli powder….. 3 tablespoons depends on how “hot” your chilli powder is. I you have “very hot” chilli powder, add 2 tablespoons. If you have “normal to medium” chilli powder, add 3 tablespoons. If you are making this for kids I would suggest adding just 1 tablespoon of chilli powder. (If you have ever made the mistake of buying a new batch of chili powder and underestimating its “heat” you will know what I mean….. the number of tablespoons depends on how “hot” your chili powder is)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3 cups water
- 1 can tomato sauce (I used Watties tomato sauce)
Directions:
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
- Stirring constantly, slowly add enough of the water to make a thin paste.
- Pour into a pan and add the rest of water.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. (this takes sometime…… be patient)
- Once mixture has thickened, stir in tomato sauce.
- tada! homemade enchilada sauce!
The Enchilada Mixture
This is a simple enchilada mixture and goes well with the sauce above. Because the sauce above is spicy, I did not add chilli when cooking this recipe. However if you are using a store bought enchilada sauce or a milder sauce, feel free to add Tabasco, Habanero, Chipotle, jalapeño or cayenne pepper. This mixture can be as spicy or as mild as you like.
This is a perfect recipe for when you have leftover roast chicken. The cooked roast chickens you get at the supermarket work just as well.
Ingredients
- Shredded chicken
- oil
- 1 capsicum, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsb cumin
- 1 tsb chilli powder (if you are using the enchilada sauce recipe above, I could skip the chilli for the chicken filling)
- 1 can beans
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- Spicy sauce of your choice (Tabasco, Habanero, Chipotle, jalapeño or cayenne pepper)
- flour tortillas
- shredded cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees
- Add oil to a heated pan
- Add onions, garlic and capsicum. Stir until softened.
- Add cumin and chilli and stir (do not allow spices to burn)
- Add beans and tomatoes
- Add shredded chicken
- Add your hot sauce
- Once heated through, set aside.
Assembly
- Pour some of your enchilada sauce to the bottom of your baking dish.
- Fill each of your tortillas with the mixture and roll the tortilla. (add about ¼ cup of mixture)
- Add the filled tortilla to your baking dish.
- Do the same with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. (The tortillas I used were massive and fit perfectly into my baking dish, if you use smaller tortillas be sure to arrange them so the entire dish is filled… they don’t have to be arranged in the same direction or perfectly… just compact enough so they won’t open up)
- Pour as much sauce as you desire on top. (I added almost all the sauce in the recipe above)
- Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes
- If you choose to grill the cheese, add it into the oven again, on grill for a couple of minutes.
- Serve with sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!!
Xoxo Pink Panther
