Enchiladas are one of those dishes that everyone has tried at least once. There are countless recipes online and I’m not surprised because one, it’s a no-brainer to make (even with homemade sauce which I highly suggest) and two, who on earth doesn’t like stuffed tortillas smothered in sauce and cheese?!
Truth be told, I never made enchiladas at home until I had Devin’s mom’s recipe. He could eat her enchiladas any day of the week so, naturally, I had to learn to make them myself! So, this is my take on a classic enchilada recipe with black beans added. I don’t typically make my enchiladas with beans but I had some laying around so I decided to add them to make it a bit more hearty, however, I think these enchiladas are delicious, with or without beans.
Something to keep in mind is making sure to ration your enchiladas appropriately so that you don’t run out of sauce and cheese before you’re able to add some on top. Trust me, I’ve been there before. I suggest setting aside sauce and cheese for the topping BEFORE you start filling your tortillas. Take a look at the pictures below for how much filing is in each mini tortilla to give you an idea of how to proportion.
One thing I, again, highly recommend is making your enchilada sauce from scratch. Does it take a little more time? Yes. Is it 10004849 times better than canned sauce? YES YES YES. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’d now I’m an advocate for homemade sauces and spice blends, even if you can just pick em up at the store down the street. Store-bought sauces have so many extra additives that are just not necessary. Now, do I take shortcuts every now and then? I mean, I’m only human. But in THIS particular case. You’ll want to spend that extra 10 minutes to make this sauce. Your belly and your body will thank you!
- 1 (7 oz.) can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- salt & pepper to taste
Chicken & Filling- 1 - 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into strips
- 1 (7 oz.) can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 10 mini tortillas
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded
Instructions- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place chicken in a bowl, season with salt pepper and 1 can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. Marinate for at least 30 mins. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add in chicken strips without chilies. Boil chicken for 15-20 mins until fully cooked.
- Prepare enchilada sauce by heating butter to a medium sauce pan. Add in chopped onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano and parsley in a bowl. Add flour mixture to onions and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add in the stock, tomato sauce and remaining chipotle chilies. Once it begins to boil, remove chilies with a slotted spoon, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 mins.
- Once chicken is fully cooked, remove from boiling water and shred into pieces. Remove enchilada sauce from heat. Set aside 1/2 cup of sauce.
- Set aside 1/3 cup of cheese. Layer a 13x9 inch baking dish with an even amount of enchilada sauce, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Place a soft tortilla on a flat surface and place shredded chicken in a line down the center. Cover chicken in enchilada sauce and top with beans and a small handful of cheese. Fold over each side of the tortilla and place in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat for all 10 enchiladas. Cover enchiladas in remaining sauce that was set aside. Top enchiladas with beans then remaining cheese.
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes and serve.
DetailsPrep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 10 mini enchiladas