Enchiladas

Enchiladas Rojas de Pollo

Classic Mexican enchiladas: corn tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken, bathed in a fiery dried-chilli sauce, and baked with melted cheese and a drizzle of crema. This is everyday home cooking across Mexico.

Prep

30 min

Cook

30 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thighs stay juicier than breasts; poach until 74 °C / 165 °F internal
• •20 g (¾ oz) dried guajillo chillies, stems and seeds removed; substitute ancho if unavailable
• •10 g (⅓ oz) dried árbol chillies, optional, for heat; omit for a milder sauce
• •1 whole (1 medium) white onion, quartered
• •3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• •5 g (1 tsp) Mexican oregano
• •2 g (½ tsp) ground cumin
• •1 g (¼ tsp) ground cloves
• •250 ml (1 cup) chicken poaching broth, plus 60 ml / ¼ cup more if the sauce is too thick
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• •20 g (1 tbsp) neutral oil, plus extra for frying tortillas
• •12 whole corn tortillas, fresh, if possible; never flour
• •200 g (7 oz) queso Oaxaca or mozzarella, torn or shredded; melting cheese
• •100 g (½ cup) crema Mexicana, Mexican sour cream; substitute with 1:1 sour cream thinned with a splash of milk
• •30 g (⅓ cup) queso fresco or feta, crumbled, for topping
• •15 g (¼ cup) fresh coriander leaves and stems, roughly chopped
• •1 whole (1 small) white onion, finely diced, for garnish

Steps

1. 1 Poach the chicken: combine thighs with half the quartered onion, 2 garlic cloves, and a pinch of salt in a pot, cover with water, and simmer gently 18–22 minutes until the thickest part reads 74 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer chicken to a bowl, reserve 250 ml / 1 cup of the broth, and shred the meat once cool enough to handle.
2. 2 Toast the chillies: heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium and toast the guajillo and árbol chillies 8–10 seconds per side until fragrant and pliable — do not let them blacken or the sauce turns bitter. Submerge in hot water for 12 minutes to soften, then drain.
3. 3 Make the salsa roja: blend the softened chillies with the remaining onion, the remaining garlic clove (peeled), oregano, cumin, cloves, 250 ml / 1 cup of the chicken broth, salt, and 1 tbsp / 15 g of the neutral oil. Blend until completely smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract all the pulp — this is the silky texture you want.
4. 4 Cook the sauce: pour the strained salsa into a small saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook 8–10 minutes, skimming any foam and seasoning with salt to taste. If it thickens too much, whisk in the extra 60 ml / ¼ cup broth. Keep warm.
5. 5 Fry the tortillas: in a separate skillet, heat about 1 cm / ½ inch of neutral oil to 175 °C / 350 °F. Fry each tortilla 5–8 seconds per side just to soften — they should bend without cracking, not crisp like a chip. Drain on paper towels.
6. 6 Heat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F (fan 180 °C). Spread about 120 ml / ½ cup of the salsa in the bottom of a 23 × 33 cm / 9 × 13 inch baking dish.
7. 7 Assemble: dip each warm tortilla briefly into the warm salsa, fill with a generous spoonful of shredded chicken and a pinch of the melting cheese, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat, packing the rolled tortillas snugly in two rows.
8. 8 Top: pour the remaining salsa over the enchiladas, then shower with the remaining melting cheese. Bake uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
9. 9 Finish and serve: drizzle liberally with crema Mexicana, then scatter crumbled queso fresco, chopped coriander, and finely diced white onion over the top. Serve immediately while the sauce is still hot and the tortillas are tender.
10. 10 Storage note: store any cooled leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within 2 days. Reheat covered in a 175 °C / 350 °F oven until piping hot throughout (≥ 74 °C / 165 °F in the centre).