Simple Enchiladas

The cat is out of the bag. The secret is out. Alert the media! Enchiladas have arrived at the Sells house. One of my husband’s favorite dishes is a giant plate of enchiladas. Kodi’s mom has made enchiladas for years and they will forever hold a special place in his heart. I thought that I would give them a try and adapt the recipe to the busy household that we live in. When I served them up for dinner and I got a thumbs up from Kodi and that was all I needed! There are some very amazing homemade and from scratch recipes out there, and a definite winner is the one from his mom, but my intention was for them to be quick, simple, and, most importantly, delicious! However, they had to pass the eyes of the enchilada critic in my house. 

There are two ways to start, one is to purchase an already made roasted chicken and shred it, the other is to go the route I did and put my Instant Pot pressure cooker to good use. If using an Instant Pot, pour one 32 oz carton of unsalted chicken broth in the cooker, and then add 2-3 chicken breasts and a ½ packet of Siete Taco Seasoning. Set the time to 8-10 minutes on high pressure. Allow the pressure to naturally release. Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and shred the chicken on a large plate. Sprinkle the rest of the Siete Taco Seasoning and 1/3 a cup of the stock from the Instant Pot over the chicken to moisten. Set the chicken aside. 

The enchilada recipe

In a large casserole dish, pour enough Siete Enchilada Sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish, and then set up your assembly line of ingredients. First, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on a large plate or in a wide bowl, and then set your shredded cheddar cheese and chicken in the line. You will need to warm the corn tortillas for about 30 seconds in a tortilla warmer or under a dampened paper towel in the microwave, but warm only half of the tortillas at a time. The reason for warming the tortillas is to keep them from crumbling so you can easily roll them.

Drench each warmed corn tortilla in the enchilada sauce, and then fill each one with about one heaping tablespoon shredded chicken and ½ tablespoon cheese. Roll each tortilla and place them in a row in your casserole dish. You should be able to make about 10-12 enchiladas with the amount of enchilada sauce in one jar. You will more than likely have left over shredded chicken, depending on their size. 

Once you have filled the dish with the rolled enchiladas you can spread one light layer of your favorite salsa on top (about 1/2 cup). Sprinkle more cheddar cheese, to your personal liking, right on top, and then bake the enchiladas at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. If you would like the cheese to be extra browned, you may consider using the broiler. 

Serving the enchiladas

We served our enchiladas with yellow rice and black beans. For toppings we like to use feta cheese, cilantro, and a salsa verde aioli that we make to brighten up the flavors. You can always replace the feta for a Mexican style cheese like cotija. For a simple sauce that we make right in our Vitamix blender, combine 3 tablespoons avocado oil mayo, ½ cup salsa verde, the juice of one lime, and ¼ cup or good handful of cilantro, and then blend them until emulsified. We served the sauce on the side, but feel free to pour it right on top. 

This was a delicious enchilada recipe and really hit the spot. Thanks to a few good quality made store bought items, you can create a simple and no fuss enchilada recipe. It’s sure to be a winner. Let us know what you think! 

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