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Enchiladas Rojas

A recipe for Enchiladas Rojas! These chicken enchiladas are topped with a red Guajillo Pasilla sauce, sliced onions, crema, and crumbled queso fresco.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 4 Servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Filling:
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 small white onion peeled and quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
  • 8 black peppercorns
  • 1 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Sauce:
  • 4 guajillo chiles
  • 2 pasilla chiles
  • 3 roma tomatoes
  • 1/4 white onion unpeeled
  • 2 garlic cloves unpeeled
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 1/2-2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • salt to taste
Assembly:
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • vegetable oil
Garnish:
  • 1 white onion thinly sliced
  • queso fresco crumbled
  • crema mexicana

Instructions

To poach the chicken:
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large pot, add 3 quarts of water and salt, onion, garlic, and peppercorns.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Add the chicken breasts and return to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook until the thickest part of the chicken breast is 165˚F, 30-45 minutes.
  2. Remove the chicken breasts to a plate and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Shred the chicken and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the sauce:
  1. Remove the stems and shake out the seeds from the chiles. Place a large comal or skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the guajillo and pasilla chiles on each side for about 20 seconds, being careful not to let them burn, then place in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Soak for up to 15 minutes, until softened. 
  2.  Add the tomatoes, onions, and garlic to the skillet, dry roasting on all sides until charred with black and brown spots. Remove the garlic first, followed by the tomatoes and onion. Remove the skin from the onion and garlic and the core from the tomatoes. 
  3. Place the softened chiles in a blender with the tomatoes onion, garlic, and oregano. Process until smooth, slowly adding the chicken stock to create a sauce. Strain the mixture through a medium-mesh strainer.
  4. In a saucepan, drizzle the 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the strained mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep warm while the enchiladas are prepared.
To assemble the enchiladas:
  1. Warm the shredded chicken.
  2. In a heavy skillet, drizzle oil to a depth of 1/2 inch over medium heat until 300˚F. Add a tortilla to the oil just long enough to soften, a few seconds. Transfer to a towel-lined plate to catch excess oil. Dip the softened tortilla in the sauce briefly, place on work surface and add about 2 tablespoons of the warmed chicken across the lower third of the tortilla. Roll up and transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas. 
  3. Cover the rolled tortillas with the warm sauce and garnish with onion, queso fresco, and crema. Serve immediately.