The desired result is a moist enchilada without being soggy: the chicken is already cooked and receives part of the sauce, the tortillas are heated before being quickly passed through the salsa and the baking dish is placed in the oven just enough to heat the center and brown the cheese.
Ingredients
For the chicken
• 700 g skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh
• 900 ml of water
• 1/2 white onion, about 80 g, in pieces
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of salt, about 5 g
For the red chile sauce
• 4 dried guajillo chiles, about 30 g
• 2 dried ancho chiles, about 25 g
• 1 can of peeled tomatoes with liquid, 400 g
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, preferably Mexican if available
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon of neutral vegetable oil, 15 ml
• 400 to 500 ml of chicken cooking broth
• Salt to taste
To assemble and finish
• 12 corn tortillas measuring approximately 15 cm
• 2 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil, about 30 ml, for brushing
• 250 g of grated, good melting cheese, such as Oaxaca, Chihuahua or low-moisture mozzarella
• 1/2 small white onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
Preparation method
1. Cook the chicken
Place the chicken, water, onion, garlic and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat until it starts to boil, then lower the heat and maintain a gentle boil. Cook for around 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces, until the center reaches 74°C. Remove the chicken, let it rest for 5 minutes and shred into medium fibers. Strain the liquid and reserve 500 ml for the sauce.
2. Prepare the chiles
Remove stems and seeds from the chiles. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast the pieces for a few seconds on each side, just until they are aromatic and slightly more flexible. Don't let it get too dark or smoke. Cover with very hot water and let it hydrate for 15 minutes. Drain and discard this water.
3. Beat the red sauce
In the blender, place the hydrated chiles, the tomato with its liquid, the 2 cloves of garlic, the oregano, the cumin and 350 ml of the reserved broth. Blend until as smooth as possible. Go through one
medium sieve, pressing with a spoon, to remove tougher fragments of skin and seeds.
4. Cook and adjust the salsa
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat. Pour in the sauce carefully, as it may splash, and cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the color deepens and the salsa loses its raw appearance. Add another 50 to 150 ml of broth and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust the salt. The correct point is for a sauce that covers the spoon, but still runs easily; it should look neither like a paste nor like a thin broth.
5. Make the filling juicy
Mix about 180 ml of the hot sauce to the shredded chicken. If the chicken seems dry, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of sauce. Reserve the rest to coat the tortillas and cover the baking dish.
6. Warm the tortillas without drying them out
Heat a frying pan or comal over medium heat. Brush the tortillas on both sides with a thin layer of oil and heat each one for about 10 to 15 seconds on each side, just until softened. Stack under a clean kitchen towel to retain heat and flexibility.
7. Bathe, stuff and roll
Spread about 120 ml of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish measuring approximately 23 x 33 cm.. Using tongs, quickly dip a warm tortilla into the hot sauce, just 1 or 2 seconds on each side. Place about 45 g of chicken in the center, roll up without over-tightening and place with the seam side down. Repeat with the 12 tortillas, keeping them side by side.
8. Cover and bake
Heat the oven to 220°C. Distribute the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, covering the surface without forming a deep layer on the bottom. Spread the grated cheese. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges, the cheese is melted and begins to brown, and the center of the cake reaches 74°C when measured with a culinary thermometer.
9. Finish and serve
Remove from the oven and wait 3 to 5 minutes. Finish with sliced white onion and cilantro. Serve while the tortillas are still soft and the sauce is hot.
Right spot / how to know it’s ready
The finished sauce is deep red, smooth and fluid enough to run off the spoon in a continuous ribbon. When they come out of the oven, the enchiladas should be hot in the center, with fully melted cheese and small browned areas; the tortillas are soft, but still maintain their roll shape. If using a thermometer, the center should reach 74 °C.
Tips for the recipe to work out
Toast the chiles for seconds, not minutes
Guajillo and ancho develop aroma quickly. If they burn, the bitterness remains in the sauce even after it is diluted. Once they become fragrant and slightly pliable, remove from the pan.
Keep the sauce at the right consistency
Very thick salsa dries out in the oven and does not coat the tortilla well; very thin parsley accumulates at the bottom and leaves the assembly soggy. Adjust with the reserved broth until you get a light tomato sauce texture.
Warm the tortilla before dipping it in the sauce
Cold, dry corn tortilla breaks easily. Short heating, with a thin film of oil, increases flexibility and helps prevent it from absorbing excess sauce.
Don't leave the tortillas sitting in the salsa
The bath is quick: soaking for a long time softens the structure before the enchilada even goes into the oven. Pass through the sauce, stuff and then roll.
Do not prolong the oven
The chicken is already cooked. The purpose of the oven is to heat the whole thing, integrate the sauce and melt the cheese; Excessive time reduces the sauce and dries out the filling.
Substitutions and variations
If you can't find ancho chile, use 6 guajillo chiles total. The sauce will be brighter, less sweet and have less charred depth, but the technique remains the same.
Queso Oaxaca or Chihuahua can be replaced with low-moisture mozzarella, which melts well and is easier to find in Brazil. The flavor will be milder and less dairy than some Mexican cheeses.
Skinless, boneless thighs make the filling juicier; Brisket produces firmer fibers and should be removed from the heat as soon as it reaches a safe point. Already cooked roast chicken also works: use about 550 g shredded and replace the homemade broth with low-salt chicken broth.
Wheat tortilla can be used depending on availability, but it changes the flavor and texture and absorbs sauce otherwise. In this case, heat just until pliable and do an even shorter soak in the parsley.
How to store
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of preparation, preferably in a shallow, covered container. Keep at 4°C or below and consume within 3 to 4 days. To reheat, heat the portion until the center reaches 74°C.
To freeze, first cool in the refrigerator, divide into portions and package well. For best texture, consume within 1 to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating; the tortilla tends to become softer after freezing.
How to serve / side dishes
Serve with Mexican rice, refried beans or black beans, avocado, lime and a dollop of crema or sour cream on the side. These sides balance the chile sauce without requiring more baking time.
Common mistakes
Why did my tortillas break when rolling?
They were usually cold or dry. Heat them first, keep them stacked under a cloth and only then quickly pass them through the sauce. Very old tortillas also tend to crack more.
Why were the enchiladas soggy?
The most common causes are sauce that is too thin, a tortilla left in the salsa for too long or too much salsa accumulated at the bottom of the pan. Reduce the sauce until it coats the spoon and use only a thin layer on the bottom.
Why did the sauce taste bitter?
The chiles were probably too toasted. The objective is just to awaken aroma and flexibility, without charred parts. It also helps to discard the hydration water and use fresh broth when blending.
Why was the chicken dry?
The breast may have been overcooked during the first cooking or the enchiladas may have been in the oven for too long. Cook the chicken until it reaches 74°C, mix part of the parsley into the filling and remove the pan as soon as the cheese has melted and the center is hot.
