Article: Marcie's Make-Ahead Enchiladas Recipe

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May 29, 2024Recipe

Marcie's Make-Ahead Enchiladas Recipe

Host your nearest and dearest this season for a flavor-filled fiesta with this enchilada recipe! Stuffed with chicken, cheese, an abundance of spices, and topped with homemade enchilada sauce, this recipe will be a family favorite in your home {we promise!} This dish not only delights guests, but also saves you precious time in the kitchen.

Why We Love Make-Ahead Enchiladas

We love make-ahead enchiladas not only because they’re delicious, but because they feed large quantities of people and can be made ahead of any gathering. These enchiladas are a busy cook's dream, allowing you to prepare them in advance for easy weeknight dinners, as a take-with you dish for traveling for the weekend, or for entertaining with your nearest and dearest.

A Few Key Ingredients for Make-Ahead Enchiladas

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – The slightly higher fat content in chicken thighs helps to carry the flavors of the spices throughout the whole dish.
Coriander – Also known as dried cilantro, coriander adds the nutty and citrusy flavor that fans of fresh cilantro know and love, but in dried and ground form.
Sharp cheddar cheese - This type of cheese adds a sharp, tangy, and rich flavor to the enchiladas.

Marcie’s Make-Ahead Enchiladas

Yields 10 enchiladas

Ingredients:

FOR THE SAUCE AND FILLING:

1 ½ tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs), trimmed of excess fat and cut in ¼ inch-wide strips
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
½ cup coarsely ground fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (4 oz) pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped (about ¼ cup)
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)

FOR THE TORTILLAS AND TOPPINGS:

10 six-inch corn tortillas
Vegetable or corn oil cooking spray
3 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese (¾ cup)
¾ cup sour cream
1 medium avocado, diced
5 romaine lettuce leaves, washed, dried, and shredded
2 limes, quartered

Instructions:

FOR THE SAUCE AND FILLING:

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium high-heat until hot and simmering, but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin salt and sugar.
Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly until coated with spices, about 30 seconds.
Add tomato sauce and ¾ cup water, stir to separate chicken pieces.
Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes.
Pour mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible.
Set sauce aside.
Transfer chicken mixture to large plate, freeze for 10 minutes to cool.

Combine with cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bowl and set aside.
Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Spoon desired amount mixture into tortillas, laying flat.
Begin rolling tortilla from the corner to the middle, to the other rounded edge.
Place in medium-to-large baking dish.
Continue rolling filled tortillas until all mixture is gone.
Using a ladle or large spoon, spoon sauce mixture over rolled tortillas.
Sprinkled cheese over dish.
Cover baking dish with foil.
Baking enchiladas on lower-middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes.
Uncover and serve immediately, passing sour cream, avocado, lettuce, and lime wedges separately.

Watch How to Make Make-Ahead Enchiladas

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How To Store Enchiladas

Storing enchiladas properly ensures they remain fresh and tasty for future meals gathered around the dinner table. Here’s how to store them effectively:

Cover the dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or in an air-tight container.
Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

To reheat, take off the plastic wrap and pop the dish in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If you want to freeze them, cover the dish with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil {to avoid freezer burn}, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Substitutions + Additions for Enchiladas

If you’d like to change up the flavor profile of your enchiladas, or prefer to swap out an ingredient or two, consider these substitutions and additions:

Add in black beans
Swap out red enchilada sauce for green enchilada sauce
Top the enchiladas with fresh, chopped cilantro

Favorite Things to Serve with Enchiladas

To round out an enchiladas diner {or lunch!}, we love to serve these appetizers and sides with them:

Chips and salsa
Homemade guacamole
Mexican street corn
Refried beans
Pico de Gallo

These drinks are always a hit when served alongside enchiladas:

Classic Margarita
Horchata

Try your hand at making one of these desserts to conclude your Mexican cuisine menu:

Flan
Tres leches cake

Prepare It In:

We love using our multifunctional Casserole Dishes for this recipe:

Serve It Up:

These enchiladas are best served hot, right out of the oven. We recommend setting out dinner plates, like our B lack Arabesque Trim Scallop Dinner Plates, Fundamental Wood Ruffle Dinner Plates, or our Iris Blue Drop Ruffle Dinner Plates . Don’t forget to set out vibrant napkins, like our Color Block French Blue and Red Napkins, Set of 4 or our Color Block Red Napkin, Set of 4. Fill our Signature White Ruffle Three Bowl Server with avocados, limes, and sour cream for easy and stylish storage.