This enchilada recipe is inspired by America's test kitchen. I love how they find the best possible way to make a dish by testing it over and over again with different ingredients and different methods until they find the best possible combination of taste, texture, etc. for a perfectly foolproof recipe. Their website says they test each recipe between 30 and 70 times!
1lb.bonelessskinless chicken breasts trimmed & pounded if necessary
Salt & pepper
2 ½cupsof enchilada saucestore bought or from scratch
1cupfinely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
14 oz. can of green chiles
½cupminced fresh cilantro
126-inch soft corn tortillas
Olive oil sprayor you can use olive oil in a little bowl with a brush
1cupshredded cheddar cheese
Lime wedgesoptional
Sour creamoptional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
Combine the chicken and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan & simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat. Then flip the chicken over, cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until chicken reaches 160-165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
Remove chicken from pan and shred into bite-sized pieces. Combine shredded chicken, ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, queso fresco, chiles and cilantro in a bowl. Add salt and pepper if desired. Cover to keep warm.
Lightly coat both sides of 6 tortillas with vegetable oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until tortillas are soft & pliable, about 2 to 4 minutes.
Quickly place tortillas on a flat surface and place ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture into each one. Tightly roll each tortilla around the chicken and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the remaining 6 tortillas.
Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour 1 more cup of enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve with remaining enchilada sauce, optional lime wedges and optional sour cream.
Recipe Notes
Roll each tortilla tightlyEnsure that each tortilla is wrapped and rolled tightly to prevent all the enchiladas from unfolding during baking. The best way to do this is by not overfilling them with too much mixture and keeping it tucked in tightly as you roll the corn tortilla over.Meat thermometerIf you don't have a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken, you can check if it's cooked by cutting through the middle to see if the juices are clear and there is no pinkness.Heating the tortsDon't preheat corn tortillas until you're ready for rolling. Otherwise, they will go cold and lose their softness for easier rolling.