This is my go-to recipe for red sauce enchiladas. Fast, incredible flavor, and stress free to make. Sound too good to be true?
Don’t let the simple ingredient list deceive you. The combo of roasted tomatoes, cumin, and chipotles in adobo creates a where-have-you-been-all-my-life flavor that is far superior to anything you can get at your local Mexican joints.
Red Sauce Enchiladas Recipe
First things first. If you have enchilada sauce in a can somewhere in your pantry, start by placing that can at the very bottom of the nearest trash receptacle.
Then get three tomatoes roasting in the oven at 400F.
And saute 1/2 an onion and 3 garlic cloves in a dollop of oil. You can chop roughly as all of this is going in the blender eventually.
You’ve got options for the chicken. Rotisserie chicken will work if you want to streamline this recipe even further, or you can poach a chicken breast for 15-20 minutes in simmering water. That’s what I did for this batch.
Okay, in about 10-15 minutes the tomatoes will be roasted ‘enough’.
Add them to the onions along with 3 chipotles in adobo, 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1 cup stock, and some freshly ground pepper.
If you’re new to chipotles in adobo you can find them in the Latin goods section of most grocery stores.
1-2 Tablespoons of chili powder would be a viable substitute for the chipotles in adobo, but I think it’s worth it to keep a few cans of the chipotles in adobo on hand for recipes like this one. They create a rich, complex flavor that is hard to duplicate.
After the mixture comes to a uniform temp (2-3 minutes), add it to a blender and combine well. Return to saucepan and simmer on mediumish heat.
Take a taste for seasoning. For this batch I added another pinch of salt and another pinch of oregano.
Also note that using 3 chipotles in adobo creates some real heat. If you want a less spicy dish you can dial back and use only 1 or 2 chipotles.
After warming up the tortillas (I used the oven for a couple minutes), add a dollop of the enchilada sauce to a plate. Dredge a tortilla in it and flip. This ensures you have some of the delish sauce inside each enchilada. Fill with chicken, cheese, and a few bits of raw onion.
Roll tight and place on a baking dish. You can line the bottom of the baking dish with some enchilada sauce to prevent sticking if you want.
Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and give ’em a jiggle so the sauce seeps in between them.
Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes, or until you can’t wait anymore.
You’ve got lots of choices for garnish. Of course, it’s tough to beat some Mexican Crema and a sprinking of Cotija cheese. (What is Cotija Cheese?)
Mexican Rice and a basic Guacamole also work really well with the flavor of this dish.
So good!
Please oh please give these Red Sauce Enchiladas a try if you’ve never made your own enchilada sauce before. By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you’ll always have the option of eating the best Mexican food in town in less than 30 minutes.
Buen Provecho.
Easy Red Sauce Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 3 chipotles in adobo
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 cup stock (or water)
- freshly ground black pepper
- oil
- 1 chicken breast
- 8-10 corn tortillas
- Monterey Jack cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- Crema (optional)
- Cotija cheese (optional)
- Basic Guacamole (optional)
Instructions
- Start by roasting 3 tomatoes in the oven at 400F.
- If you are poaching the chicken, cover the chicken breast with cold water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside, approx. 20 minutes. You can also add salt, onion, and cilantro to the simmering water for a hint of additional flavor. Once cooked, set aside to cool and then shred using two forks.
- Saute a roughly chopped 1/2 onion and 3 whole, peeled garlic cloves in a dollop of oil over medium heat.
- Add the roasted tomatoes to the onions and garlic, along with 3 chipotles in adobo, 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1 cup stock (or water), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes and then add it to a blender. Blend well and return to the saucepan. Taste for seasoning. ( I added additional pinches of salt and oregano to this batch). Let simmer for 5-10 minutes on mediumish heat.
- Meanwhile, heat up 8-10 corn tortillas. I covered them with damp paper towels and nuked them for 60 seconds.
- Add a dollop of the enchilada sauce to a plate. Dredge a tortilla in the sauce and flip. Fill with shredded chicken, chunks of cheese, and some bits of finely chopped raw onion. Roll tight and place on a baking dish seam side down. You can line the baking dish with enchilada sauce to prevent sticking.
- Continue rolling the enchiladas until all the chicken is gone. A single chicken breast will make 7-9 enchiladas. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and give them a jiggle.
- Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes
- Serve immediately with your choice of Crema, Cotija cheese, Arroz Rojo, and Guacamole.
Notes
P.S. Once you are comfortable making enchiladas in this style you can swap out some ingredients to make our Colorado Enchiladas and Enchiladas Suizas.
Still hungry?!
Want to receive Mexican Please recipes via email when they are posted? Sign up below to subscribe. All recipes are spam free.
Thank You For Subscribing!
Joan García
I lived in Oaxaca Mexico and learned to eat chipotle with crema and tortilla from the market stalls…my kind of food forever. I am going to make the salsa and taquitos this week. Glad I found your site. Inspires me to make more Mexican dishes, a truly great cuisine. So healthy too.
Patrick
Thanks much Joan, I hope you find some keeper recipes on my site. Cheers.
Laura
Excellent red sauce!!!!
Patrick
Thanks much Laura 🙂
Saamah
Many thanks from lockdown Germany here! I’ve made this a couple of times, once with chicken and once with jackfruit. Delicious both times – and the spiciness is just right. No chance of fancy Mexican cheeses here in smalltown East Germany, but we used gouda instead of the monterrey and feta instead of the cotija cheese. Thanks!
Patrick
Ahh great to hear from you Saamah! Glad to know this recipe worked out for you, and even though you might have to get creative with the cheese, it sounds like you have plenty of the most important ingredient — chipotles 🙂 Cheers.
Krystal
This is my new favorite cooking website <33 Just bought my first can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and wanted to see what else I can do with it. Turns out, so many things – I just can't wait to give them all a try. Enjoy your writing style immensely. Thanks so much!
Patrick
Thanks much Krystal! If you haven’t seen it here is a post with some other chipotle recipe options:
Chipotle in Adobo Recipes
Amber
Hi Patrick,
I’m about to make these (sans chicken but subbing black beans and maybe some broccoli) but I’m wondering…are you using Roma tomatoes here? It looked like it but I wanted to ask for future reference.
Thanks!
Patrick
Hi Amber! Yeah I almost always use Roma tomatoes and did so in this recipe as well. Cheers.
Kayla
Hi Patrick! I’ve been making your enchiladas for a while, and my family loves them. I am trying to prep a bunch of meals for the freezer right now and am wondering if you think these would freeze well before cooking? Thanks!
Patrick
Thanks Kayla! Hmmm yes they will freeze, but you risk some mushiness on reheating, and some slight flavor disappointment from those who have tried the sauce when it’s freshly made 🙂
Kayla Collaine
Love this recipe. Would love to make it in the thermomix. Do you convert any of your recipes for using a thermmix?
Patrick
Thanks Kayla! But sorry I can’t give a firsthand trip report on the thermomix as I don’t use one. Cheers.
Cathy Simmons
I’m about to try this recipe as it looks divine yet simple, but I had a question about portions… the recipe stats say *2 servings* yet I count 9 enchiladas in your photo… I need to make this for a dinner party for 5 people, so I’m wondering if simply doubling it would suffice, or if I need to triple it…
Patrick
Hi Cathy! I think doubling it will be fine. You’ll get around 8 enchiladas for each chicken breast and that’s usually plenty for 2 hungry people or more if served up with some fixings. Cheers.
Cindy
Omg, the best sauce for enchiladas! I cook and love enchiladas and usually make it from chili pods, never thought of adobe Chipotle Chile’s.
I want to store some sauce to eat with chicken alone! Delicious!
Chi
Australia never has good Mexican food so I’m so glad I can make it at home! These were a breeze to make and came out delicious. Added a bit of raw capsicum to the mixture and had guacamole on top. Incredible. Thanks so much
Patrick
Thanks Chi, so glad the enchiladas were a hit! Yeah I’ve been getting lots of emails from Australia lately — seems like authentic Mexican is rare there, which means lots of business potential!!