Chicken Enchiladas

CAPITAL CITY CUISINE 010
BY DANIEL ARROYO, CAPITAL CITY MARKET
MEAT DEPARTMENT LEAD
SKIP TO RECIPE

One of the things I really enjoy about Mexican Cuisine is the ingrained respect for the ingredients. This dish isn’t overly complicated. It is just good ingredients made great.

The first time I made these enchiladas was when I was working as a chef at a sorority on Michigan State University’s campus. In my opinion, store-bought sauce leaves much to be desired - so our team tried to do as much from scratch as possible. The sauce recipe was super fun to make, and once I tried it for the first time, I swore I would never buy pre-made enchilada sauce again!

I was quite excited to make my own tortillas for this dish - something I had to avoid when working at the sorority due to time constraints. I’m still working on perfecting my technique, but they turned out pretty great. I’ve provided some tips and tricks that I found helpful in the recipe below.

When making enchiladas, I like using boneless skinless chicken thighs. They tend to be tender and hold moisture very well, so the dish doesn't dry out. I prefer using Katies Best chicken. Their chicken is a high-quality product, and a typical package is the perfect amount for 1-3 people. While industry wide meat prices are on the rise, I find this line of product to have a reasonable price, especially for the topnotch quality. Capital City Market currently carries the air-chilled, all natural Katies Best line.

I hope you enjoy trying this recipe! It has become a staple at my house, and a classic recipe I intend to serve for years to come. I keep the recipe super simple, but you can always make it your own by adding anything you want to spice up this dish!

Chicken Enchiladas

All ingredients available at Capital City Market

ingredients

Enchilada Sauce

  • 6 oz dried guajillo chilies

  • 6 oz dried ancho chilis

  • 1 qt. water or chicken broth

  • 8 garlic cloves

  • 2 tomatoes, halved

  • ½ white onion

Corn Tortillas

  • 2 cups Masa Harina (corn flour)

  • 1 ½ cup hot water (more may be needed)

Filling

  • 2 oz shredded chicken thighs

  • 160z salsa verde

instructions

Enchilada Sauce

  1. Dry toast the chilis in non-stick pan, then toast the garlic, tomatoes and onion.

  2. Soak chilis in boiling chicken stock or water for 30-40 minutes.

    PRO TIP: While the chilis are soaking, start making your corn tortillas. You cannot beat homemade tortillas.

  3. After the soak, peel the seeds and membranes out.

  4. Add chili, chicken broth, and toasted vegetables to blender and let it rip!

  5. Strain the sauce.

  6. After the sauce is strained, cook on low heat for 30 minutes, until it is the texture of heavy cream.

Corn Tortillas

  1. Mix ingredients together and knead for about 5 minutes.

  2. After your dough is done, let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

  3. Roll dough into a 2oz balls.

  4. Using a tortilla press, press tortillas until flattened.

    PRO TIP: If tortillas crack after pressing you will need more water. If they stick and don’t peel easily, try and incorporate more masa into the dough.

  5. Cook tortillas for about 45-50 seconds per side.

  6. Keep warm in a tortilla warmer.

Filling

  1. Brown chicken thighs.

  2. Place in pressure cooker for 30 minutes with Salsa verde.

  3. Dip the fresh corn tortilla in the enchilada sauce and fill with the chicken.

  4. Roll it up and top it with your favorite garnish. I like pickled red onion and Cotija cheese.

Keri Tomac