Chicken Enchiladas

These are some of the best enchiladas I’ve had, even if I do say so myself! The sauce is so quick and easy to make and if you have any leftovers it can be stored in the fridge for a few days. Or why not make more than you need and freeze whatever is left ready for next time.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1 tin of black beans (or kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed)
• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• Handful of finely chopped coriander
• Good few handfuls of grated cheese
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp chilli powder
•  1/2 tsp salt
•  1/4 tsp ground cumin
•  1/4 tsp dried oregano
•   450ml chicken stock

Method

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan, add the flour and whisk through over the heat for around a minute.  Add the remaining seasonings (don’t have your head to near the pan as you will get a hit of the chilli!!) and stir through until combined.  Gradually whisk in the stock, continue to whisk in order to remove any lumps.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.

Whilst the sauce is thickening, heat some oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.  You can add a few grinds of black pepper to the chicken or even some taco/fajita seasoning, for an extra hit of flavour.

Once the chicken has cooked and the sauce is done, we are now ready to assemble our enchiladas. 

Coat each tortilla with some of the enchilada sauce.  Put a line of beans down the middle of the tortilla, top with some of the red onion, chicken and cheese then roll until you have a fat cigar shape which you place into an oven proof dish along with the other enchiladas. 

Try and use a dish that the enchiladas just fit into, that way you ensure they don’t open up whilst being cooked.  Drizzle any remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas, top with more cheese and cook in a preheated oven (180 degrees) for around 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is nice and gooey. 

Garnish the enchiladas with some chopped coriander and serve.

We served the enchiladas with some cheesy nachos, topped with sour cream and salsa and of course some freshly made guacamole. Delicious!

Mark’s Top Tip

To determine the heat of a chilli pepper, always taste a small piece from just below the stem as that is the hottest part – the tip of the chilli is milder.  Also, if you want a mild chilli, remove the seeds and pith as these contain the heat!