Shredded Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Cooking with my Mom :)

I love Mexican food, especially the Mexican food they serve in the US :) After already posting my Taco Flautas recipe (which I actually was inspired to by a German Mexican restaurant), I now want to post an Enchilada recipe that I made for my Mom.

The secret for the Enchilada sauce is the hot sauce!

As it is difficult to find a canned Enchilada sauce in Germany, I have created my own little recipe for the sauce. It did taste delicious. The secret is to find a really good hot sauce you like. I used Cholula hot sauce (chili) that seem to fit perfectly.

The best filling - shredded slow cooked juicy chicken...

I did not know what I should use as a filling. Vegetables of course... But I also needed a protein as I cooked the dish for my Mom and she loves her meat :) I had cooked mexican dishes for her before, always using ground beef or steak. So, this time I decided to use chicken, but not boring chicken slices. I used slow cooked, succulent, juicy, shredded chicken. I did not use a slow cooker, but I did cook it for about 1 hour on low heat with some onions, spices and a little bit of tomato sauce. The chicken remained very juicy. Later on, I just added the other filling ingredients to the chicken, cooked it all in one pot. My Mom loved it!

I used bell pepper, zucchini and corn as vegetables but I am sure you can substitute for other vegetables as well :)

Ingredients:

Filling - shredded chicken with vegetables:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 small onion - diced
• 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 2-3 chicken breast
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 3 Tbsp jalapenos - chopped
• 1 small tomato - diced
• 1 Tbsp Mexican spice mix 
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small zucchini - sliced
• 1 small bell pepper - sliced
• 1/2 cup corn

• wheat tortillas
• 1 cup cheese - shredded
• 1 Tbls chives (garnish)

• Possible side dishes: salad with yoghurt dressing, spanish rice, black beans

Enchilada Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 onion - finely diced
• 1 Tbsp bell pepper - finely diced
• 2 Tbsp jalapenos - finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 tsp vegetable stock seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp Cholula hot sauce - chili
• salt, pepper to taste 

Make your own Mexican spice blend:

• 1 teaspoon coriander, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, extra salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. First, slow cook the chicken: Heat the oil, add the onions and fry for a couple minutes till slighlty translucent. Add the tomato sauce, chicken, garlic, jalapenos and tomato. Stir and fry for a few minutes. Add the mexican spice mix, the seasoned salt, normal salt and pepper to taste, the hot sauce (e.g. Cholula hot sauce - chili) and fill up with water till chicken is slightly covered. Cook at medium heat and covered for about 1 hour. 
2. In the meantime, prepare the enchilada sauce: Heat up oil in a small sauce pan. Add the onions, the bell pepper, jalapenos and garlic. Fry till onions are translucent. Add the tomato sauce, water, vegetable stock seasoning, cumin, Cholula hot sauce and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Now, add the remaining filling ingredients to the chicken: Bell pepper, zucchini and corn. Stir and let cook for another 10 minutes till the vegetables are soft.
4. Shred the chicken: Take the pot with the chicken and vegetables from the heat. Transfer the chicken to a plate. With two forks, shred the chicken by pulling it apart. Pour the remaining filling on top of the chicken and mix. Now you have one plate with your filling. 
5. Assemble and bake the enchiladas: Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius (390 degree Fahrenheit). Use a casserole dish. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. Now, assemble the tortillas. Heat up the tortillas for 30 sec in the preheated oven or the microwave. Fill each tortilla with about 3 tablespoons of filling (chicken with vegetables). Roll them up tightly and transfer to the casserole dish, seam-side down. Place them closely next to each other. Pour enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes till the cheese is melted. Take the casserole out and sprinkle the chives on top.

Serve with spanish rice, black beans and salad (best with a yoghurt sauce). Find the recipes for the rice and salad at my Taco Flautas recipe.

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