Chicken enchiladas
Soft corn tortillas rolled around cheesy shredded chicken and baked under red sauce until everything bubbles, and a second pan freezes beautifully.
- 65 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $2.27 a serving
- 410 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1¼ lb chicken breasts
- 1 can diced green chiles
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
- 2 cans red enchilada sauce, divided
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 4 cups water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 410 calories, 34 g protein, 30 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $2.27 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Put the chicken in a medium with the water and salt, and bring it over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to low, cover, and gently 12 to 15 minutes, until the thickest breast reads 165°F.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 14 min
Dolly’s tip: Gentle bubbles keep poached chicken tender. A hard boil makes it rubbery.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Move the chicken to a bowl, it with two forks, and in the green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, 1 cup of the cheese and ½ cup of the sauce.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Spread ½ cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave them for 45 seconds, until soft and bendy.
Timer: 45 sec
Dolly’s tip: Cold corn tortillas crack when you roll them. Warm ones roll without a fight.Spoon a line of filling down each tortilla, roll it up, and set it seam side down in the dish.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the top, making sure the ends are covered, then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
Dolly’s tip: Sauce on the ends keeps them soft instead of drying into chips.20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese has .
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 20 min
Let it sit for 5 minutes, then serve with sour cream and cilantro.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
