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Chicken Enchiladas

Tay M.
Cheesy, saucy yummy chicken enchiladas.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 12
Calories 417.72 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 ½ lb. whole chicken bone-in and skin on
  • 2 white onions
  • 6 whole cloves garlic
  • 2 ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 – 4 jalapeno or serrano chiles seeded and diced
  • 1 – 7.75 oz El Pato green, yellow, or red can
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 2 tsp ground chiles ancho, chipotle, New Mexico, or your choice
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 – 28 oz can red enchilada sauce
  • 1 – 28 oz can green enchilada sauce
  • 1 – 4 oz can fire-roasted green chiles diced
  • 1 – 3.8 oz can black olives sliced
  • 1 – bunch green onions thinly sliced
  • 32 oz Monterey Jack cheese block grated
  • 24 corn tortillas
  • Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Instructions
 

For the Chicken:

  • Peel one white onion then cut into quarters.
  • Place whole chicken in a 6 or 8-quart stockpot with onion quarters, 3 whole cloves of garlic, and kosher salt. Cover with cool filtered water by 1-inch. Bring to a simmer for 1 hour, check for doneness.
  • Meanwhile, dice the remaining onion and garlic; keep them separated. Seed and dice the serrano or jalapeno peppers. Set aside
  • Strain chicken into a colander set in a large bowl save chicken broth. Do not discard.
  • Discard onions, garlic, skin, and bones.
  • Using folks pull the chicken apart to shred or use a hand or stand mixer on low. You can also allow the chicken to cool and shred by hand.
  • In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add to 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add onions and chiles, sauté for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  • Add cumin, dried oregano, and dried chiles, sauté for another minute. Add shredded chicken and tomato sauce. Add ¼ to ½ cup of leftover chicken broth if more liquid is needed.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. The chicken should be “saucy” with no runny liquid.

For the Tortillas, Sauce, and Filling

  • In a 3-quart saucepan, add both cans of enchilada sauce, simmer over medium heat for 15, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. Cool slightly, then pour into a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile, grate cheese into a large bowl. Pre-grated cheese has an anti-caking agent that stops the cheese from melting smoothly; if possible, try not to use it.
  • Drain olives. Rough chop about two-thirds of the can place in a medium-sized bowl. Set the remaining slices aside in a small bowl for garnishing.
  • Drain green chilies, add to the bowl with the olives.
  • Thinly slice 6-8 green onions, including the white part, add them to the bowl with olives and chiles. Save ½ to 1 cup of part green for garnish in a bowl.
  • In a small skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add on tortilla in the pan and fry each side for about a minute each. The tortillas should be pliable and not crispy. Stack them on paper towels to drain

To Assemble:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • On a half sheet pan, spoon enough enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of the pan, about ½ to ¾ cup.
  • Set up your assembly station. Use a dinner plate to roll each enchilada. Place the bowl of sauce and tortillas close to the rolling plate. Line up the chicken, cheese, and olive mixture.
  • Quickly dip the tortilla into the enchilada sauce and place it on the rolling plate.
  • Spoon chicken onto the end of the tortilla closest to you. Add cheese and olive mixture.
  • Roll the tortilla away from you, place it on the sheet pan. Continue until all tortillas are used.
  • Evenly spread enchiladas with more sauce. Cover with cheese. Top them with sliced olives and green onion tops.
  • Loosely cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until cheese is melted and bubbly.