Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas with Blender Ranchero Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A weeknight Tex-Mex plate built on two shortcuts that taste like neither: shredded rotisserie chicken and a ranchero sauce that goes together in a blender, then gets fried in hot oil for two minutes to deepen its color and flavor. The move worth learning is dipping each warm corn tortilla straight into that hot sauce before rolling — the tortillas soften, absorb flavor, and never split or turn to paste in the pan.

Ingredients

• 1 28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, plus 1 tsp of the sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (about 1 lb, skin discarded)
• 1 4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• 12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, for softening tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack blend
• 1/2 cup sour cream, for serving
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion or pickled jalapeño, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine the tomatoes and their juice, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, chipotle plus its adobo sauce, sugar, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth in a blender. Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds until completely smooth — you want no visible onion flecks.
2. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers. Pour in the blended sauce all at once (stand back, it will spatter) and cook, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the sauce darkens a shade and thickens enough to leave a trail behind the spoon.
3. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup broth and simmer 3 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt. You should have about 3 cups of pourable sauce; keep it over low heat so it stays hot for dipping.
4. Make the filling: in a large bowl, mash the softened cream cheese with the green chiles, scallions, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp salt until smooth. Fold in the shredded chicken, 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack, and 1/3 cup of the warm ranchero sauce. Spread 3/4 cup of sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.
5. Soften the tortillas: heat 1/4 cup oil in a small skillet over medium until it just shimmers. Working one at a time, slide a tortilla in for 8 to 10 seconds per side — just until it goes limp and pliable, not crisp — then lift with tongs, let the oil drip off, and stack on a plate lined with paper towels. Do all 12.
6. Now the key step: pour about 1 cup of the hot ranchero sauce into a wide shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip each softened tortilla into the sauce so both sides are coated, let the excess drip off for a second, and lay it on a cutting board. The warm sauce keeps the tortilla flexible so it rolls without a single crack.
7. Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of filling in a line down the center of the sauced tortilla, roll it up snugly, and set it seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat, nestling the enchiladas in a single tight row of 12.
8. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top, leaving the very ends of the rolls a little exposed so they stay chewy rather than soggy. Scatter the 1 1/2 cups cheddar-Jack blend over everything.
9. Bake uncovered for 18 to 22 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce bubbles vigorously at the edges. If you want browned spots on the cheese, run the dish under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely.
10. Let the enchiladas rest 5 minutes so the sauce sets and they lift out cleanly. Serve two per plate topped with sour cream, cilantro, and red onion or pickled jalapeño.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem