Smoked chicken wrapped in tortillas, blanketed in a chile colorado sauce built from Hatch chiles and toasted spices that carry the whole dish
Ingredients
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHILE COLORADO SAUCE:
- 2.5 oz Red Hatch chile pods, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, torn into pieces
- 1 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co® Chain Reaction®
- 1 Tablespoon cumin seed, toasted lightly and crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 7-oz can chipotles in adobo
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ancho chile, ground
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 oz garlic cloves,
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon chicken
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 14-oz can roasted, diced tomatoes
- FOR THE FILLING:
- 3 cups chicken, cooked, shredded
- 8 oz Oxaxaca cheese, grated
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese, grated
- 1 small onion, medium dice
- 4 Hatch/Anaheim green chiles, roasted, sweated, stemmed/seeded, peeled, and diced (optional)
- PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER
- 12 flour tortillas, taco sized
- 8 oz Muenster cheese, grated
Method
-
01
Gather chile pods, spices, onion, bouillon, bay leaves
5 minGet everything prepped and within arm's reach before heat hits the pan—you want to move fast once the chiles start cooking and the aromatics bloom.
-
02
Boil red chiles, turn off, cover, steep 30 min
35 minBoil briefly then passive steep with lid on.
-
03
Purée chiles, spices, onion, bouillon, bay leaves with liquid
6 minAdd reserved liquid gradually until smooth sauce consistency.
-
04
Heat sauce to boil, adjust salt, thin if needed
8 minYou're looking for a silky, brick-red sauce that coats the back of a spoon; if it's too thick, thin it with stock or water a splash at a time, and taste as you go for salt since the chipotles bring heat and the bouillon brings salt.
-
05
Preheat oven to 325°F
10 minLow and slow is the move here—325°F lets the enchiladas warm through evenly without drying out the smoked chicken or browning the cheese too fast.
-
06
Shred chicken, grate cheeses, dice onion, prep green chiles
12 minKeep your mise in separate piles so assembly moves like clockwork; cold smoked chicken shreds cleaner, and grating cheese fresh gives you better melt.
-
07
Warm tortillas and hold in warmer
4 minPliable tortillas are non-negotiable—they won't tear or crack when you roll, and they'll stay supple in the oven.
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08
Dip, fill, roll 12 tortillas into greased baking dish
15 minDip each tortilla in sauce bowl, add filling, roll, place in dish.
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09
Top with remaining sauce and Muenster cheese
3 minPour sauce on the bottom of the baking dish first, then nestle those rolled enchiladas seam-side down, and finish with a generous pour on top so every bite gets that chile colorado flavor.
-
10
Bake at 325°F for 30 min
30 minYou'll know they're done when the edges are bubbling, the cheese is melted and starting to brown in spots, and a knife through the center comes out hot—don't rush this step.
-
11
Turn off oven, let sit 30 min to cool
30 minPassive rest in cooling oven; gear still pinned.
From Mike's Notebook
Toast cumin seed and crush it yourself—pre-ground loses the volatile oils that make this sauce sing.
Steep the chiles covered and still, don't boil them to death or they turn bitter and muddy.
Let the enchiladas cool 30 minutes in the turned-off oven so the cheese sets and they hold together when plated.