Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chilli Sauce

Tender shredded chicken is wrapped in soft corn tortillas, smothered in a homemade smoky-sweet red chilli sauce and baked until bubbling. Finished with a shower of coriander, red onion and a squeeze of lime, these enchiladas taste far more involved than the effort they take.

Enchiladas are all about the sauce. Rather than a jarred tomato base, this one builds real depth from dried ancho, cumin and smoked paprika, so every rolled tortilla soaks up genuine Mexican flavour. Poached chicken keeps things quick, the oven does the heavy lifting, and the whole tray comes out bubbling, smoky and generous enough to feed a hungry table.

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs — breast also works but thighs stay juicier
• 8 corn tortillas — flour tortillas if you prefer softer, easier rolling
• 2 dried ancho chillies — or 2 tbsp chipotle paste as an easy sub
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano — Mexican oregano if you can find it
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 150 g mature Cheddar, grated — or a Cheddar and mozzarella mix
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced — to scatter over before serving
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Put the chicken thighs in a pan, cover with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Poach for 15 minutes until cooked through with no pink in the middle, then lift out and shred with two forks once cool enough to handle. Keep a mug of the poaching liquid.
2. Meanwhile, tear the stems and seeds from the ancho chillies, cover with just-boiled water and leave to soak for 10 minutes until softened.
3. Heat the oil in a wide pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano and stir for a minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another minute.
4. Drain the soaked chillies and blitz them with the chopped tomatoes and a splash of the poaching liquid until smooth. Pour into the pan, season, and simmer for 8 minutes until thickened to a pourable sauce. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan.
5. Mix the shredded chicken with about a third of the sauce so it holds together. Warm the tortillas briefly in a dry pan or microwave to make them pliable.
6. Spoon a little sauce over the base of a baking dish. Fill each tortilla with chicken, roll up and lay seam-side down in the dish, packed snugly together.
7. Pour the remaining sauce over the top, making sure the ends are covered so they don't dry out, then scatter over the grated cheese.
8. Bake for 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the cheese is melted and golden and the whole dish is piping hot.
9. Scatter with chopped coriander and red onion, and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

Serve it with

• Soured cream or crème fraîche
• Guacamole or sliced avocado
• Pickled jalapeños
• Mexican-style rice
• A crisp green salad with lime dressing

Why this works

Soaking and blitzing dried ancho chillies gives the sauce a deep, smoky sweetness that jarred versions can't match, while poaching the chicken keeps it moist and gives you a ready-made stock to loosen the sauce.

Common swaps

• Swap ancho chillies for 2 tbsp chipotle paste for smoky heat with no soaking
• Use leftover roast chicken instead of poaching to save time
• Flour tortillas roll more easily than corn if they keep cracking
• Black beans stirred into the filling stretch it further or make it part-veggie

Common mistakes to avoid

• Overfilling the tortillas so they split and unroll - a couple of tablespoons each is plenty
• Not warming the tortillas first, which makes corn ones crack as you roll
• Leaving tortilla ends exposed above the sauce, so they bake dry and hard
• Skimping on sauce - the tortillas need enough to soak up or they turn tough

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing: Freezes well for up to 2 months, either assembled and unbaked or after baking. Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat in a covered dish at 180°C fan for 20-25 minutes until piping hot right through, adding a splash of water if the sauce looks dry.

Allergen notes: contains Milk. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.