Previously, I shared a family recipe for Cheese Enchiladas. I have now started to experiment with different types, chicken has been our favorite. The sauce is the same, but I’m adding a few tricks I’ve picked up along the way and my preferred method for cooking the meat.
Ingredients – approx 2 dozen:
- 20-24 tortillas (room temperature, so they don’t crack and break)
- 46 ounces of tomato juice (I have also used regular or spicy vegetable juice)
- 15 ounces of tomato sauce
- 1/2 to 2/3 jar chili powder
- 2 to 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- You can also add any onion powder/salt, pepper, or other spices to taste
- 4-5 cups of shredded Mexican and/or Colby Jack cheese (save 1/2 to 1 cup for topping)
- 2-3 pounds of chicken breasts/tenders or ground beef
This recipe will yield close to 2 dozen enchiladas. While they do reheat very well (just put them back in the oven at 350, covered with foil until they are heated through – or we even do 2 at a time for 1 minute in the microwave) this recipe is too large for our family of 4. I have started using the following:
Ingredients – approx 10-12
- 8-12 tortillas (room temperature, so they don’t crack and break)
- 46 ounces of tomato juice (I have also used regular or spicy vegetable juice)
- 15 ounces of tomato sauce
- 1/2 to 2/3 jar chili powder
- 2 to 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- Onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, or other spices to taste
- 2-3 cups of shredded Mexican and/or Colby Jack cheese (reserve 1/2 to 1 cup for topping)
- 1-2 pounds of chicken breasts/tenders or ground beef
In the slow cooker, stir together the tomato juice, tomato sauce, ketchup, and spices.
You’ll notice that the sauce ingredient amounts are exactly the same whether you’re making 2 dozen or 1, because I like to have extra sauce on hand. You can halve them, but I prefer to mix the full amounts of the tomato juice, tomato sauce, ketchup, and spices first.
After I get it to taste, I just use a plastic cup to scoop out half of the sauce and pour it back into the tomato juice jug. I keep this mix in the fridge to use later for taco night, as a base for soups, and even add it to make red beer. If you ARE making 2 dozen enchiladas, skip this step and leave the full amount in the slow cooker.
Add your protein of choice, usually 1-2 pounds for 1 pan of enchiladas or 2-3 pounds for the full 2 dozen.
When using chicken, I put the raw chicken right into the pot with the sauce. You can also use frozen chicken! If you forget to thaw it, you can put the frozen chicken into the sauce in the slow cooker. It just has to reach an internal temperature of 165. I use chicken tenderloin because it’s less expensive than breasts, and it will all just be shredded in the end anyway. When using beef, brown it beforehand and then add to the sauce.
Set the slow cooker for 4 hours on low for browned ground beef or raw chicken, or 6 hours on low for frozen chicken.
When the cooking time is up, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken or beef and place it in a bowl. Shred the chicken using forks or these handy kitchen tools called Bear Paws. Add cheese (reserving 1/2 to 1 cup for the topping) and mix it all together.
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the pan and then spoon in a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. Dip a tortilla into the sauce in the slow cooker. Lay it in the pan and add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of meat and cheese in a line towards the upper half of the tortilla. Bring the top down over the meat and roll tightly to the end. Place them in the pan, seam down, right next to each other.
The reason you can get anywhere from 8-12 enchiladas in a pan just depends on how many tortillas you have. If I have a huge pack, I go for 10-12. But often burrito-sized tortillas come in packs of 8. Any will work, but 10 per dish seems to be perfect for us.
Spoon on a little extra sauce once they are all in the pan and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
Since everything should be cooked already it’s just heating them through. If you are going right into the oven after assembly 20 minutes is probably fine. I will often make these earlier in the afternoon, put them covered in the fridge, and then bake in the oven 30 minutes before my husband comes home.
I hope you enjoy this family recipe. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions, don’t hesitate to comment below (comments will post shortly after approval)!
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