This chicken enchilada recipe has the most flavorful homemade red enchilada sauce. These spicy chicken enchiladas are filled with shredded chicken, hatch chilies, black beans, aromatics, and melty cheese. These enchiladas rojas are so fun and easy to make!

Enchiladas

Enchiladas date back to the Mayans who used to roll fish into corn tortillas to eat. In Mexico, you can find enchiladas filled with different types of proteins, vegetables, and combinations of the two. The most common sauces to top enchiladas with are roja (red) or verde (green). This is not a traditional enchilada recipe, but have pulled influences from enchiladas rojas.

Enchilada sauce ingredients

For the homemade red enchilada sauce, I love using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce as the base. It’s smokey and full of flavor on it’s own, then we bump up the flavor even more with additional spices.

Making the enchilada sauce

1. In a saucepan, we will make a roux with avocado oil and flour. This will help thicken the enchilada sauce.
2. Whisk the flour into the oil until the flour is fully incorporated
3. Next, add in the spices and whisk until combined. Slowly begin whisking in the chicken broth, removing any lumps.
4. Add chipotle peppers in adobo to the sauce. How many chipotle peppers you add, will dictate how spicy the sauce will be. I use 6 peppers (almost the whole can) for very spicy, but you can use 4 peppers or even 2 for your spice preference. [Note: the sauce on it’s own will taste very spicy, but it will mellow out when it is eaten with the tortillas and other ingredients]

1. Allow the sauce to come to a gentle boil and lower the heat. Allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes, so all the flavors can meld.
2. Using an immersion blender or heat safe blender, blend the enchilada sauce until smooth.
3. Again, the sauce will taste very spicy depending on how many peppers you added, but will mellow out with additional ingredients in the dish. Remove from heat and set aside.

Enchilada stuffing

For the filling of the enchiladas I use a combination of my Mexican shredded chicken (slow cooker recipe) (instant pot recipe) and a combination of vegetables. If you are in a pinch, you can shred a rotisserie chicken, but the flavors of my shredded Mexican chicken really elevate the enchiladas.

1. In a skillet over medium heat, add in diced yellow onion and finely chopped jalapeños (removed the seeds). Sauté until the onions begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Next, add in the minced garlic and sauté an additional minute until fragrant.
3. You can use canned hatch chiles or fresh hatch chiles depending on if they are in season. If using fresh, toss them in with the onions to soften.
4. Last, add in the black beans and stir everything to combine.

Cheese

I always prefer grating fresh cheese when I am going to be melting a lot of it. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents which don’t allow it to melt as well, but still can be used if that is what you have on hand. I grated 8oz of Colby jack (which is a combination of Colby and Monterey jack cheese) to be used inside and on top of the enchiladas.

Assembling the chicken enchiladas

The easiest way to assemble the chicken enchiladas, is to make an assembly line of ingredients. Have your Mexican shredded chicken, hatch chili bean mixture, red enchilada sauce, cheese, tortillas, and a rectangular baking dish. Start by pouring a thin layer of enchilada sauce at the bottom of the baking dish, tilt so the entire bottom is coated.

1. Grab one tortilla and add 1 heaping spoon of red enchilada sauce, spread around tortilla. (Some tortillas are more fragile than other, if you find them tearing, you can lightly toast them prior to filling)
2. Next add shredded chicken, grated cheese, and hatch chili black bean mixture.
3. To roll, gently push ingredients to one side and tightly roll the tortilla.
4. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish, so they do not unravel as you place them. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Once you have rolled all the enchiladas and placed them in the baking dish, add enchilada sauce over the top. Next, spread the rest of the shredded cheese over all the enchiladas.

Bake the enchiladas

In a 350F oven, add the chicken enchiladas uncovered and bake for 20-25 minutes. All the elements are pre-cooked, so you are baking to melt the cheese and allow all the flavors to develop together. If you want the cheese more well done, you can broil for 1 minute at the end to brown the cheese (keep a close eye).

Serving enchiladas

Another favorite part about enchiladas, is you can personalize your garnishes! I typically stick to cilantro and diced avocado. Since the enchiladas are spicy, the creamy avocado is a nice cooling addition to the dish. I’ve also topped them with red onion, cotija cheese, and sour cream.

Serving them is always an adventure, my best tip is to use two spatulas. First, I separate them depending on how many you want, and then I use a spatula on each end of the enchilada so it doesn’t break in half.

Make ahead or freezing enchiladas

You can assemble the enchiladas ahead of time and place in the refrigerator prior to baking. Ensure to fully seal the enchiladas in the baking dish to keep them fresh and add an additional 10 minutes to bake time. To freeze the enchiladas, I recommend using a disposable pan. Do all the steps except for adding the cheese on top prior to baking, cover tightly with plastic wrap so they are fully sealed, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in fridge overnight, then bake.

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