🇲🇽 Enchiladas Rojas

Enchiladas rojas are rolled corn tortillas filled with shredded chicken, smothered in a red chili sauce, and baked with melted cheese. The sauce is made from dried chilies and has a deep, slightly smoky flavour.

Ingredients

• 12 Corn Tortillas
• 500 g Cooked Chicken, shredded
• 3 Dried Guajillo Chilies
• 2 Dried Ancho Chilies
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 tsp Salt
• 200 g Queso Fresco or Cheddar, grated
• 1/2 cup Crema or Sour Cream
• 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
• Fresh Cilantro

Method

1. Soak chilies in hot water 20 min. Blend with garlic, half the onion, stock, cumin, oregano, and salt. Strain.
2. Fry the sauce in a little oil 5 min until thickened.
3. Warm tortillas so they do not crack. Dip each in sauce.
4. Fill with chicken, roll, and place seam-side down in a baking dish.
5. Pour remaining sauce over the top.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 180°C for 20 min.
7. Top with crema, red onion, and cilantro. Serve hot.

History

Enchiladas have been made in Mexico since at least the 19th century, and their name comes from the Spanish verb enchilar, "to season with chili." The dish appears in Mexican cookbooks from the 1830s, and versions exist across the country — enchiladas verdes with tomatillos, enchiladas suizas with cream and cheese, and enchiladas rojas with dried red chilies. The rojas version is traditional in central Mexico, where dried guajillo and ancho chilies are staple ingredients. Enchiladas are a home-cooking dish rather than street food, made for family dinners and celebrations.

The science

The chili sauce that coats enchiladas rojas is built from dried chilies, which have a very different flavour profile from fresh ones. Drying concentrates the sugars in the chili and develops new flavour compounds, so the resulting sauce tastes deeper and more complex than one made from fresh peppers. Toasting the dried chilies before soaking them — a step many recipes skip — is important, because it activates the oils that carry the aroma. The tortillas are briefly fried before being dipped in the sauce, which does two things: it firms up the tortillas so they do not dissolve, and it creates a thin barrier of fat that helps the sauce cling to the surface rather than soaking all the way in.

Substitutions

Shredded chicken is the most common filling, but beef, pork, or a mix of beans and cheese all work. The guajillo and ancho chilies can be replaced with a good-quality ancho chili powder and a little smoked paprika if you cannot find whole dried chilies. Queso fresco is traditional, but feta or a mild goat cheese are close substitutes. For a vegan version, fill with black beans and roasted sweet potato, and use a dairy-free cheese alternative — the sauce is the star of the dish either way.

Chef's tip

Dip tortillas in warm sauce before rolling — it softens them and stops them breaking.

Drink pairing

Mexican rice, refried beans, and a cold cerveza. The rice and beans round out the meal, and the beer’s carbonation cuts through the richness of the cheese and crema.