Easy Delicious Enchilada Recipes

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Enchiladas are tortillas filled with...whatever you want, and served with a chile-based sauce. Traditionally, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, but a lot of people use flour tortillas.

Fillings can include beef, pork, chicken, cheese, onions, beans or whatever you have in the fridge. I found a recipe recently for crispy grasshoppers (chapulines) that are supposed to be delightful as a tortilla filling. I don't think I need to try that recipe, thank you very much.

Here is a short glossary to help you understand cookbooks and menus at Mexican restaurants.

Enchiladas con Chili Colorado (red chiles) - Enchiladas with traditional red enchilada sauce made from ground red chiles. In the United States, red sauce often is tomato based.

Enchiladas Verdes - Enchiladas with green enchilada sauce composed of tomatillos and green chiles.

Enchiladas Suizas - Enchiladas topped with a cream or milk-based sauce. Here's a great recipe for Chicken Enchiladas Suizas.

Enchiladas con Mole - Enchiladas with Mole sauce. Mole sauce has chocolate in it. Yum!

Stacked Enchiladas - Enchiladas are served stacked, with filling between tortillas. Sometimes, the stack is topped with a fried egg. These may be topped with either red or green sauce. Popular in New Mexico.

Photo by Stuart Spivack

3 pounds beef chuck roast
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups sour cream
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup oil for frying
20 (6 inch) corn tortillas
Your favorite enchilada sauce (see my recipe below)

1. Place roast in a large saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Pour in water, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

2. Increase heat to medium/high, and brown the roast on all sides. Once the water has boiled away, pour in the beef broth, vinegar, chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beef falls apart when you try to pick it up.

3. Shred the beef, using 2 forks or your fingers. Place shredded beef back into the saucepan with all the juices, and let cool to room temperature.

4. In a large skillet, saute the onion until just soft, not browned. Mix in flour and green chilies. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook the flour taste out.

5.Stir in sour cream and 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese. Cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the cheese is all melted and mixed. Set aside and let cool.

6. In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Using tongs dip the tortillas, one at a time, into the oil for 30 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels.

7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread 4 tablespoons of sour cream mixture down the center of the tortilla. Top with about the same amount of beef. Roll up and place seam side down in one or two 8x11 inch baking dish. Repeat for each tortilla. Continue until you are out of the filling. Top with enchilada sauce if desired (see recipe below). Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese.

8. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Photo by avlxyz

You can leave the chocolate out for an equally delicious, but decidedly different sauce.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons to 5 tablespoons hot chili powder (use your own taste)
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate (don't be tempted to add a little more chocolate)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high high heat. Saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon; saute for a few minutes.

2. Stir in flour and chili powder, stirring until sauce thickens. Slowly whisk in chicken broth; reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency.

3. Stir in chocolate until melted and well blended.

Everyone has a different opinion about the difference between a burrito and an enchilada. Here are some guidelines to help you tell the difference.

Traditionally, burritos are made with flour tortillas, while enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. We all know that rule gets broken regularly.

In a burrito, the tortilla is folded into an envelope to hold the filling. An enchilada tortilla is simply rolled around the filling.

An enchilada has a chile-based sauce to accompany it, while a burrito generally does not. Once again, there are plenty of saucy burritos out there.

Generally, enchiladas are heated after they are assembled. Burritos ingredients are heated before assembly.

Are you clear now on the difference between a burrito and an enchilada? Just check to see if the end is folded over to enclose the filling (burrito) or the whole enchilada is covered with sauce (uh, enchilada). If you find a folded over tortilla covered with sauce, you're on your own.

Photo by Stuart Spivack

4 bone-in chicken breast halves
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds fresh tomatillos, husks removed
10 serrano peppers
1/2 white onion
2 cloves garlic
2 pinches salt
24 corn tortillas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups crumbled queso fresco or your choice of cheese
1 white onion, chopped
2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.

2. Place tomatillos and serrano chiles in a pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to boil, and continue boiling until tomatillos turn dull green. Strain tomatillos and chiles, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth, so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan til very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in hot oil, setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 3 per person.

4. Fill or top tortillas with shredded chicken, then extra green sauce. Top with crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.