Hen Enchiladas – A Couple Cooks

This hen enchiladas recipe is full of taste, with shredded meat, cheese, and a zingy crimson enchilada sauce. The right straightforward dinner!

Right here’s a crowd-pleasing dinner recipe to place in your rotation: hen enchiladas recipe! It’s arduous to search out somebody who will flip down this Tex Mex favourite. Every enchilada is full of shredded hen and cheese, then drowned in a zingy crimson sauce and baked till heat and gooey. It’s additionally extraordinarily versatile for numerous diets: you’ll be able to simply make half the pan vegetarian or use corn tortillas for gluten-free. Everybody wins right here, and whipping up a giant pan makes dinnertime magic.

Substances in hen enchiladas

This hen enchiladas recipe is a play on the Tex Mex dish, which is in flip a riff on the traditional Mexican enchilada. The primary reference to the fashionable enchilada dates again to 1885 in Mexico, however the custom of rolling a tortilla round fillings has been round for the reason that Aztec occasions.

There are a number of variations between Mexican enchiladas and Tex Mex fashion; usually Mexican enchiladas use corn tortillas and are fried vs Tex Mex which use flour tortillas and are baked. This rendition is Tex Mex in fashion, and we honor the good custom of Mexican cooks and cooks who introduced us the mighty enchilada. Right here’s what you’ll want for this hen enchiladas recipe:

• Shredded hen: Make home made shredded hen for finest taste, or go fast and simple with store-bought.
• Crimson enchilada sauce: For quick enchiladas, we suggest discovering a fantastic store-bought sauce, however you may also make home made enchilada sauce.
• Onion and inexperienced chiles: These veggies add nuance to the flavour.
• Cumin, oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper: This mix of spices makes well-seasoned hen.
• Colby jack cheese: We like Colby jack for taste, however you may also use Mexican mix cheese or cheddar.
• Tortillas: We use flour tortillas for this Tex Mex variation, however you should utilize corn tortillas as properly, that are extra conventional in Mexican-style enchiladas and a gluten free choice.

How one can shred hen

The quickest approach to hen enchiladas is with bought shredded hen, nevertheless it’s received one of the best taste if you make it home made! It takes about 10 minutes to boil. One of the simplest ways we’ve discovered to make shredded hen is to butterfly it, boil it, after which pull it into strips utilizing your fingers. Right here’s easy methods to make shredded hen (or click on the hyperlink):

1. Butterfly the hen in order that it cooks evenly. Place your hand excessive of every hen breast and use a pointy knife to rigorously slice the breast horizontally, leaving the sting intact so it could actually open up like a e-book. Open up the breast then lower alongside the fold to separate the 2 halves.
2. Boil for 7 to 10 minutes. Place 1 pound hen in a pot with 6 cups water, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and seasonings (or use hen broth and half the salt). Boil for 7 to 10 minutes till the middle is now not pink and the inner temperature is 160°F.
3. Tear the hen into shreds. As soon as the hen is cool sufficient to the touch, use your fingers to tear the hen into shreds.

Use a fantastic crimson enchilada sauce

This is likely to be a scorching take, however for hen enchiladas we like to purchase the enchilada sauce. Many individuals swear by home made, however it could actually take a little bit of time and go away you with some mess. In the event you’re going to make home made, it’s best to make it upfront. However we love a fantastic bought crimson enchilada sauce! Listed here are some choices:

• Bought crimson enchilada sauce: There are many improbable enchilada sauce manufacturers on the retailer, and plenty of of them are minimally processed. Each model is totally different, so experiment to search out one you like. We like Siete Meals enchilada sauce.
• Do-it-yourself, made upfront: Or, make a batch of our Do-it-yourself Crimson Enchilada sauce! It’s best to make it upfront to make sure fast prep.

Flour tortillas vs corn tortillas

What are one of the best tortillas for hen enchiladas? Corn tortillas are conventional in Mexican-style enchiladas, and flour tortillas are utilized in Tex Mex enchiladas. Right here’s what to know concerning the variations:

• Corn tortillas are gluten-free. Some manufacturers have a tendency to separate if you go to roll them! To fight this, discover the very best quality corn tortilla model you’ll be able to. Then brush it with oil and cook dinner it 15 seconds per facet earlier than assembling. This makes it simpler to roll.
• Flour tortillas should not gluten-free, however they’re much simpler to roll and extra sturdy normally. Additionally they get good and gooey from the enchilada sauce.
• What about grain free tortillas? There are are different varieties of grain-free tortillas obtainable at many grocery shops: almond flour, cassava flour, or chickpea flour (strive Siete model). We haven’t examined these, so tell us within the feedback under when you strive them!

How one can assemble hen enchiladas: a number of ideas!

The filling for this hen enchiladas recipe options shredded hen, onion and inexperienced chilies, with a mix of savory spices. When you’ve received it prepared, it’s time to assemble! It’s useful to have one other individual to assist for meeting. Listed here are a number of ideas for a easy and speedy course of:

• Don’t overfill the tortillas. It’s straightforward to need to put in approach an excessive amount of filling. All you want is ¼ cup hen and a couple of tablespoons cheese. Unfold them in a line down the middle.
• Roll them tightly and place seam facet down. Inserting seam facet down helps them keep rolled.
• If utilizing corn tortillas, use a sturdy model and cook dinner in oil previous to rolling. Corn tortillas can simply tear and break up when rolling them. Earlier than assembling, brush either side of every tortilla frivolously with olive oil. Warmth a big griddle to medium-high warmth, and cook dinner the tortillas in batches for 15 seconds per facet till frivolously browned.

Favourite enchilada toppings

One of the best a part of this straightforward hen enchiladas recipe? Loading them up with all one of the best toppings! Listed here are a number of enchilada topping concepts:

• Bitter cream
• Guacamole
• Feta or queso fresco crumbles
• Crimson onion or inexperienced onion
• Bought pico de gallo
• Cilantro
• Pickled onions

Sides to serve with hen enchiladas

As soon as we’ve whipped up a pan of hen enchiladas, we use the bake time to drag collectively a number of easy facet dishes. Listed here are a few sides that go together with enchiladas: