Simple Hen Enchiladas with Crimson Sauce — Restaurant High quality

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Simple Hen Enchiladas with Crimson Sauce will delight your whole household. Tacky, make-ahead, and so satisfying — no restaurant required!

Say hiya to considered one of my very favourite household dinner recipes that’s not solely straightforward to assemble, however so scrumptious that I make a double batch every time I pull the recipe out.

Hiii, Simple Hen Enchiladas with Crimson Sauce!

Between my husband, three children, and myself, we simply end a full recipe, so the double batch is useful for having tasty leftovers for lunches later within the week.

This luscious hen dinner recipe is a STAPLE in our home!

Watch The way to Make Them

Restaurant-Type Hen Enchiladas

The key to attaining restaurant-style hen enchiladas at house is to make use of do-it-yourself pink enchilada sauce. Really, no store-bought sauce compares and, fortunate for you and me, do-it-yourself pink enchilada sauce takes lower than 10 minutes to make with pantry staples.

Plus the sauce freezes superbly so you’ll be able to multiply the recipe then inventory the freezer with pre-made, able to rock, do-it-yourself enchilada sauce!

Components Wanted

For the Crimson Enchilada Sauce:

Oil: vegetable oil or one other neutral-flavored cooking oil like avocado oil or canola oil is used to toast the dried seasonings.
Flour: use a measure-for-measure / 1:1 gluten free flour versus a single-ingredient flour like coconut or almond flour. You should utilize all-purpose flour for those who don’t have to eat gluten free.
Chili powder: use gentle chili powder to maintain this dish gentle/medium, or go along with sizzling chili powder to spice issues up.
Onion powder: lends onion taste with out having to chop an onion.
Dried oregano: use dried oregano leaves vs floor dried oregano.
Garlic powder: provides garlic taste with out having to peel then mince garlic.
Cumin: for a touch of smoky taste.
Tomato paste: provides that signature pink colour and wealthy taste to the enchilada sauce.
Hen broth: to create the sauce.
Salt: a pinch to amplify all of the flavors.

For the Hen Enchiladas

Shredded hen: prepare dinner then shred hen breast for the enchilada filling utilizing any methodology you want. I’ve made this recipe utilizing every little thing from Roast Hen (Costco Rotisserie Hen is a straightforward choice!) to Crock Pot Salsa Hen, or shredded sauted or poached hen. Be at liberty to make use of hen thighs, or a mix of shredded thighs and hen breast.
Corn tortillas: I like Mission model Tremendous Gentle Corn Tortillas, which are available in yellow or white corn — both is okay. You should utilize flour tortillas for those who desire the style / texture and don’t have to eat gluten free.
Shredded Mexican cheese mix: is a mix of cheeses that soften and stretch just like the cheese does inside restaurant enchiladas.

The Tortilla Debate: Corn or Flour?

Even when I didn’t have Celiac Illness and have to eat gluten free, I’d nonetheless use corn tortillas to make Hen Enchiladas. They turn out to be mushy and creamy draped with the do-it-yourself pink sauce. Mmm!

Whereas corn tortillas are vulnerable to cracking after rolling (take a look at my suggestions under for serving to to stop this) you’ll by no means have the ability to inform as soon as the enchiladas are coated in pink sauce and shredded cheese.

That mentioned, if the feel of corn tortillas simply isn’t for you, you should use your favourite flour-style tortilla on this recipe.

Finest Cheese for Hen Enchiladas

Whereas cheese isn’t as central to this hen enchilada recipe as it’s to Cheese Enchiladas, I nonetheless advocate you utilize a Mexican-style shredded cheese mix which is stuffed inside every enchilada with shredded hen, and sprinkled on prime of the enchiladas earlier than baking.

These blends include the right mixture of cheeses that each stretch and soften when sizzling. Listed here are two blends to look out for (although there are tons extra!):

Monterey Jack cheese, Asadero, Queso Quesadilla
Oaxaca and Asadero

What to Serve with Hen Enchiladas

Truthfully one of many the explanation why I like making Hen Enchiladas for dinner is as a result of I can serve it with a easy aspect salad and name it a day — or somewhat, dinner. That mentioned, these different recipes pair very effectively with enchiladas:

Okay, let’s get you some Hen Enchiladas!

The way to Make Simple Hen Enchiladas

Step 1: Make the do-it-yourself Crimson Enchilada Sauce

Warmth vegetable oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium warmth then whisk in flour and prepare dinner for 1 minute.

Add seasonings and spices then proceed to whisk till they’re toasted and aromatic however not burnt, ~30 seconds.

Lastly, whisk in tomato paste till clean then slowly pour in hen broth whereas whisking to create a clean sauce.

Enhance the warmth to medium-high to deliver the sauce to a simmer, then flip the warmth right down to medium and proceed to simmer whereas stirring till the sauce has barely thickened, 1-2 minutes. Pour the sauce right into a glass measuring dish — ideally with a lip — then let the sauce cool barely. The sauce will proceed to thicken because it cools.

Tip: make the pink enchilada sauce as much as 5 days forward of time. Retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge (glass advisable as plastic will stain) then re-warm earlier than utilizing.

Step 2: Roll the Hen Enchiladas

Scoop 1/2 cup enchilada sauce into the underside of a 9×13″ nonstick sprayed baking dish then unfold it into a fair layer.

Subsequent, wrap half the tortillas in a humid paper towel then microwave for 30 seconds to heat them up — this helps stop the tortillas from cracking. Don’t fear in the event that they nonetheless crack for the reason that enchiladas can be coated in sauce and cheese anyway.

One after the other, place a heat tortilla onto a clear, dry floor like a plate or chopping board then unfold shredded hen evenly throughout the middle. Prime with a sprinkling of shredded cheese then roll the tortilla and place seam-side down within the baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining elements, warming the second batch of tortillas when wanted.

Step 3: Cowl with sauce and cheese then bake.

Pour the remaining pink enchilada sauce over the tops of the corn tortillas, taking care to ensure there are not any uncovered elements as they’ll turn out to be powerful and dry after baking.

You won’t want to make use of all of the pink enchilada sauce to utterly cowl the hen enchiladas.

Sprinkle extra shredded cheese on prime then cowl the baking dish with a bit of nonstick sprayed foil and bake within the oven for half-hour at 350 levels, or till the cheese on prime has melted and the enchilada sauce is effervescent.

Let the enchiladas cool for 10 minutes earlier than scooping onto plates and serving.

I MEAN. Inform me this wouldn’t perk up any ho hum weeknight?!

Let the Hen Enchiladas sit and funky for 10-Quarter-hour then serve with any/all toppings and aspect dishes.

The way to Retailer and Reheat Leftovers

Though my husband makes it his private mission to attempt to devour each final drop of Hen Enchiladas every time I make them, as I discussed, I are likely to make a double batch so we are able to reheat leftovers for lunches later within the week. Right here’s how:

To retailer: Switch leftover enchiladas into an hermetic container with a lid then refrigerate for 3-4 days. I like to recommend a glass storage container because the pink sauce can stain plastic.
To reheat: Reheat individual-sized parts within the microwave till sizzling.

The way to Make-Forward

I like having this casserole within the fridge able to bake. Right here’s how:

Assemble the casserole up till the purpose of overlaying the enchiladas with pink sauce. Cowl the enchiladas with plastic wrap then refrigerate individually from the sauce.
When it’s time to bake, re-warm the sauce then pour it over the enchiladas and bake in accordance with recipe instructions.

The way to Freeze

Hen Enchiladas additionally freeze effectively — freeze them earlier than baking, vs after. Right here’s how:

To freeze: Make sure the enchilada sauce is COLD, in any other case the tortillas can soak up the nice and cozy sauce, then assemble the hen enchiladas in accordance with recipe instructions. Cowl the baking dish in plastic wrap, then foil, after which freeze for as much as 3 months.
To bake: Thaw the hen enchiladas within the fridge then take away the plastic wrap, recuperate with foil, and bake in accordance with recipe instructions.

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