Chicken Enchiladas
These Chicken Enchiladas are made with shredded chicken, a red enchilada sauce, mexican blend shredded cheese, flour tortillas and a secret ingredient: Peanut Salsa (salsa de cacahuete) ! I bought this salsa already made from Trader Joe’s and I added it to the enchilada sauce to give it a smokey and slightly spicy kick! Salsa de Cacahuete is a southern mexican salsa made with peanuts. The chiles in the salsa are usually guajillo, which can be spicy, but the peanut calms the spiciness and makes the salsa creamy. You can add any salsa in your enchilada sauce to give this dish a fun twist or you can omit it and just stick to the basics. Either way, you will have a delicious dinner that the whole family can enjoy.
Because I don’t add a ton of salsa to the sauce, it is not spicy. If you love a lot of heat, feel free to add a bit more salsa. I love the smokiness of this salsa. It has an interesting flavor, unlike anything else I have ever tried. Mexican food is so amazing. I continue to learn new things about the cuisine and I am always blown away. I am Puerto Rican and in Puerto Rican cooking, we do have some similarities, but Mexican cuisine is so much more diverse, in terms of ingredients, in my opinion. That makes sense considering Mexico is a very large country, and Puerto Rican is a tiny island.
What is Peanut Salsa?
Peanut Salsa known as Salsa de Cacahuete is a spicy southern mexican salsa made with peanuts. The chiles in the salsa are usually guajillo, which can be spicy, but the peanut calms the spiciness and makes the salsa creamy.
How do you make shredded chicken?
I make mine in my Instant Pot, but you can also make it on the stove top.
- Instant Pot Instructions: I make my chicken in the pressure cooker with 1 tsp salt and 1 cup of water for 10 minutes on high pressure, then natural release of pressure for 5 minutes followed by manual release of pressure. Then I drain the water, and shred and chop the chicken.
- Stove Top Instructions: You can do the same with a large pot on the stove. Add chicken to a large pot, Cover chicken with water and tsp salt and add an additional inch of water, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15-16 minutes. Drain water and shred chicken.
EQUIPMENT
- 10.5 x 7.5 Casserole Dish
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb Chicken Breast You can also buy pre-cooked shredded chicken. You will only need 12 oz if you buy this already cooked.
- 1 cup Enchilada Sauce
- 4 tbsp Peanut Salsa Salsa de Cacahuete. Alternately, you can use any of your favorite salsas.
- 8 Flour Tortillas
- Mexican Shredded Cheese 1 to 2 cups
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Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
- 10.5 x 7.5 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breast You can also buy pre-cooked shredded chicken. You will only need 12 oz if you buy this already cooked.
- 1 cup Enchilada Sauce
- 4 tbsp Peanut Salsa Salsa de Cacahuete. Alternately, you can use your favorite salsa.
- 8 Flour Tortillas
- Mexican Shredded Cheese 1 to 2 cups
- Cotija Cheese optional
- cilantro optional
- green onions optional
Instructions
Chicken
- Instant Pot Instructions: I make my chicken in the pressure cooker with 1 tsp salt and 1 cup of water for 10 minutes on high pressure, then natural release of pressure for 5 minutes followed by manual release of pressure. Then I drain the water, and shred and chop the chicken.
- Stove Top Instructions: You can do the same with a large pot on the stove. Add chicken to a large pot, Cover chicken with water and tsp salt and add an additional inch of water, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15-16 minutes. Drain water and shred chicken.
Enchilada
- Preheat Oven to 350F
- Add enough enchilada sauce to the bottom of a 10.5 x 7.5 baking dish. About 1/4 cup, and spread it all around.
- In a bowl, combine the shredded chicken with 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce and 4 tbsps of peanut salsa.
- Lay a tortilla on a flat surface, add 2-3 tbsps of the chicken mixture in a line on one end of the tortilla. Then add about 1.5 tbsp shredded cheese on top. Roll up the enchilada. You can also try adding the chicken and cheese to the center of a tortilla, folding it over and then rolling it up. Create a tight roll and add the tortilla seal side down in your casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Add another 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce to the top of the enchiladas. I like to just go across the whole dish in a thick row with the sauce, but you can do it any way you like. Top with more cheese and then bake it for 20 minutes or until the tortillas are slightly crisp on the outside. Garnish with fresh cilantro, cotija cheese, or green onions
Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice now, once with red enchilada sauce and once with green, and both came out fantastic! Thank you for the easy foolproof recipe (:
So happy to hear this, Mackenzie! I am glad you enjoyed it!