Arriving back last week from tropical Darwin to our home in chilly Adelaide (see my post Darwin Chili Mud Crab), I was ready for something hot and spicy- what better way than to whip up some mini Chicken Enchiladas!
The tomato sauce for the enchiladas is spiced with chili, cumin, Mexican chili powder, corn and an optional splash of white wine. Already I can feel (taste) the heat!
I filled the enchiladas with shredded chicken breast: I normally think chicken breast is too dry for my taste, however after I poached it in water for several minutes, the meat was nice and tender. I used mini-tortillas since they are ‘cute’ and easy to handle.
Mini enchiladas ready to go into the oven
A friend of mine once said that she doesn’t cook Mexican-inspired food at home since “there are already so many Mexican restaurants and fast-food places around.” But it’s ‘game on’ for me- I’ll take the heat anytime!
P.S. I’d love it if you’d ‘like’ my G’day Souffle’ Facebook page- it would really make my day!
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 long red or green chili, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican chili powder
- 1 small can of corn
- Splash of white wine (optional)
- 1 can (14 oz or 400 g) diced tomatoes
- 2 cups (280 g) shredded cooked chicken breast
- 1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream
- 2-3 tbsp of the sauce (from above)
- 1 cup grated extra tasty cheddar cheese
- 1 fire roasted red pepper (from jar), diced
- Salt to taste
- 8 mini tortillas
- 1 sliced avocado
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- Coriander (cilantro)
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C). Add a little olive oil to a fry pan and sauté the onion, garlic and chili over medium-high heat until soft. Add the cumin, Mexican chili powder, can of diced tomatoes, corn and splash of white wine (optional); reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened and set aside.
- Prepare the shredded cooked chicken breast (see Notes below). In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chicken meat, sour cream, 2-3 tbsps. of the sauce, cheddar cheese and chopped fire-roasted red pepper. Add salt to taste.
- Place each mini-tortilla onto a flat surface and top with several tablespoons of chicken mixture. Roll up each tortilla and place seam-down into a rectangular baking dish. Add the sauce and then top with the cheddar cheese. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the enchiladas turn golden and are cooked through. To serve, add the sliced spring (green) onion, avocado slices and coriander.
- To cook my chicken breast meat, I first chopped the breast up into 3-4 pieces, then poached the meat for 6-7 minutes in a saucepan filled with water, several pieces of crushed garlic and a splash of white wine and some chicken stock. This made the meat tender and flavorful.
10 Comments
Joanne T Ferguson
August 28, 2016 at 4:18 pmLooks delicious Fran and can see myself making this one day soon! YUM!
Fran
August 28, 2016 at 4:30 pmThanks so much, Joanne!
John/Kitchen Riffs
August 29, 2016 at 12:57 amNice dish! Love Mexican food, and we make it at home a lot too. This is better than you’d find at most Mexican restaurants around here. Good stuff! Thanks so much.
Fran
August 29, 2016 at 7:57 amThanks John for your comment. Most Mexican restaurants ‘skimp’ on the condiments on top of the enchilada- but I like to go whole hog!
Raymund
August 29, 2016 at 6:21 pmI would so love a serving of this or two.
Looks so delish
Denise Browning
August 29, 2016 at 11:13 pmIt looks so b delish… a perfect weeknight meal.
Viviana
August 30, 2016 at 1:19 pmI am sorry, but this is not Mexican food. I don’t want to sound mean or anything, but a dish called ‘enchiladas’ in Mexico looks nothing like this. It may be full of flavors, but it is an American interpretation of ‘enchiladas’.
Fran
August 30, 2016 at 1:48 pmViviana, thanks for pointing this out. I am not claiming Mexican food ‘authenticity’ here. There are many recipes out there that call a dish an ‘enchilada’ if it has some sort of filling inside of a tortilla. So for my recipe, I’ll settle for calling it an American (or Australian) interpretation of an enchilada. But you’re right, it is full of flavors!
lisaiscooking
August 31, 2016 at 6:13 amI know the feeling of having lots of Mexican restaurants nearby–but I love cooking Mexican food at home too! These enchiladas look delicious with the sauce and avocado on top.
Juliana
September 2, 2016 at 5:58 amWow Fran, what a beautiful dish…I have never made enchilada at home…maybe it is time to give this dish a try.
Hope you are having a great week 🙂