Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream & Cheddar Cheese

These are Tex-Mex enchiladas built from scratch in 80 minutes, with a real homemade sauce instead of a can of red enchilada sauce. Two cans of green chilies and minced garlic hit hot oil first, then drained canned tomatoes go in to simmer down for 30 minutes into a thick, slightly chunky chile-tomato base.

The filling is a Texas-style move: shredded cooked chicken blended directly with sour cream and grated cheddar in one bowl. No layering inside the tortilla, no fancy assembly, just a creamy mass that holds the roll together as it heats.

The oil-dip step on the tortillas is the one you cannot skip. A few seconds in hot oil makes corn tortillas pliable enough to roll without splitting, and they crisp slightly at the edges as they bake. Skip this and you will fight cracking, cardboard-y wraps the whole time.

A 20-minute bake at 350°F (175°C) is enough to heat through and let the sauce settle into the tortillas.

Chef Tips

• Dip tortillas in hot oil for just 3 to 5 seconds. Longer and they crisp instead of soften, then they crack when you roll them.
• Drain the tomatoes fully but save the liquid. You will need it to loosen the sauce if it reduces too fast.
• Use rotisserie chicken to shortcut the prep. The meat is already seasoned and pulls apart easily.
• Pack the rolls tight against each other in the pan, seam-down. They support each other and stay shut.

Variations

• Add a can of cream of chicken soup to the filling for an old-school casserole version.
• Use Monterey Jack or pepper jack instead of cheddar for a meltier, milder cheese pull.
• Swap the green chiles for chipotles in adobo for a smoky-spicy sauce.