Enchiladas Rojas Rápidas en Sartén
Enchiladas Rojas Rápidas en Sartén·(en-chee-LAH-dahs RO-has RAH-pee-das en sar-TEN)
La Comida en la Semana – Weeknight Guisados and the Main Event
Drop supermarket corn tortillas into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet to eat in twenty minutes; forget the heavy glass casserole dishes and the sad, soggy baked enchiladas of American suburbia. Paired with a store-bought rotisserie chicken, this technique delivers the sharp, toasted heat of a street stall to a Tuesday night in Ohio; the real secret is that it’s in freír la salsa, the essential act of frying a fresh chili purée in smoking hot oil until it emulsifies into a brick-red paste and the sauce blisters. Turn the burner high, skip the delicate plating, and just eat.
Before you start
Embrace the rotisserie chicken hack.
A supermarket rotisserie chicken is the ultimate weeknight savior here. Shred the breast and thigh meat while the chiles soak to save yourself half an hour of boiling poultry from scratch.
Ingredients
- dried guajillo chiles6 med
- dried ancho chiles2 med
- garlic cloves2 med
- white onion1/4 med
- low sodium chicken broth1 1/2 cup
- Mexican oregano1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- corn tortillas12 med
- cooked chicken2 cup
- queso fresco1 cup
- crema Mexicana1/2 cup
- white onion1/4 med
- iceberg lettuce1 cup
Method
- 01
Toast and hydrate the chiles.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and press the guajillo and ancho chiles flat for ten to fifteen seconds per side until fragrant, taking care not to blacken them. Transfer the toasted chiles to a pot of boiling water, remove from the heat, and soak for fifteen minutes until fleshy and soft.
- 02
Purée the salsa base.
Discard the bitter soaking liquid. Transfer the softened chiles to a blender along with the garlic, roughly chopped white onion, Mexican oregano, salt, and chicken broth, blending on high for a full minute until completely smooth.
- 03
Fry the sauce to build depth.
This is the grandmother's secret. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then pour in the chili purée; it will sputter and sizzle aggressively. Stir continuously for three to five minutes as the color darkens and the sauce thickens into a velvety emulsion, then drop the heat to your lowest setting to keep it warm.
- 04
Condition the tortillas.
Do not skip this, or your tortillas will dissolve into mush. In a second skillet, heat a splash of oil over medium and flash-fry each corn tortilla for five to ten seconds per side, just enough to create a protective lipid barrier without turning it rigid, transferring them to a paper towel as you go.
- 05
Dip, fill, and fold.
Working quickly, completely submerge a conditioned tortilla into the simmering red sauce to coat both sides. Transfer it to a plate, place a pinch of warm shredded chicken slightly off-center, and fold it over like a soft taco.
- 06
Garnish aggressively and serve immediately.
Drizzle a little extra hot red sauce over the folded enchiladas and hit them with a heavy shower of crumbled queso fresco, a drizzle of crema, crisp raw white onion, and shredded lettuce.
Notes
Strain the sauce if needed.
If you don't have a high-powered blender, pass your chili purée through a fine-mesh sieve before frying it to remove any tough, papery chili skins.
From Cook Mexican in America.