Chicken/Turkey Enchiladas
Dating back to Mayan Times (A.D. 250 – 900), food in Mexico has been rolled in a tortilla and dipped in a spicy sauce. Great stone cities, monuments, arts, calendars, and astronomy were but a few of the incredible accomplishments of this civilization.
This is a perfect way to repurpose leftover chicken or turkey and never know it.
Chicken/Turkey Enchiladas
Some recipes cover the enchiladas with the sauce. Sometimes we spread our sauce on the bottom, to soak in for a crispier enchilada on the top. Other times we drizzle it over the enchiladas for a softer version.If you are in a hurry and prefer to skip making enchilada sauce, we like Casa Fiesta Mild Enchilada Sauce (296 ml).It’s really up to you, if you want to warm the tortillas in oil or put them through a quick dip in the enchilada sauce. The key is to warm and moisten the corn tortillas before cooking them or they will crumble and dry.
Ingredients
Enchilada Filling
- 2 cups (320 gr) cooked chicken or turkey, diced or shredded
- ¾ cup (180 gr) Philadelphia light cream cheese
- 1 cup (240 gr) Tostitos Medium/Mild Salsa
- 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Enchilada Sauce
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- ½ TBSP chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp dry oregano
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne optional
- 1 TBSP tomato paste
- 1.5 TBSP (12 gr) corn starch
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tsp white vinegar
8 – 6-inch corn tortillas
- Oil for warming the tortillas if using
- 1 cup (77 gr) cheddar cheese grated
- Garnish: Feta Cheese cilantro, sour cream, avocado slices
Instructions
- Pre Heat oven to 350
- Prepare the enchilada and sauce ingredients beforehand and have at the ready, they come together quickly.
Enchilada Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan and add the spices. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, stir, and then sprinkle the corn starch. Stir to incorporate and add beef stock. Whisk until smooth and continue to whisk until thickened over medium heat.
- Remove from heat, add the vinegar, and spread over the bottom of an oven proof dish (dish the size that will accommodate the 8 tortillas); if wanting a crispier top enchilada. Otherwise, spread ½ cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish. Keep the remaining warm sauce to dip the tortillas in.
Enchilada Filling
- Add cooked chicken or turkey to a skillet along with the cream cheese, salsa and cumin. Stir until incorporated and let simmer for 5 minutes to reduce liquid. Stir often. Remove from heat and cook the tortilla shells.
Tortillas
- Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add 1 tortilla shell, and warm for on each side 10 – 30 seconds. The tortilla should be soft and not crispy. Or if you prefer, dip the tortillas in the warm sauce then fill as per below.
- Measure 1/3 cup (77 gr) of filling onto middle of the tortilla and roll. Place seam side down on top of the Enchilada sauce. Continue until all tortillas have been warmed and filled, adding more olive oil as needed.
- If dipping the tortillas in the sauce, after all have been rolled, drizzle any remaining sauce over the enchiladas.
- Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Garnish as desired.
Notes
There are a lot of flavors in the enchiladas, so a wine not as bold works wonderfully. One of our favorites is a Chianti.
We’ve paired:
• Cafaggio Chianti Classico
• Ruffino Chianti
• Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti