Crispy Chicken Enchilada Wraps
These crispy chicken enchilada wraps are a fantastic weeknight dinner solution they are fast, easy, customizable and so, so delicious!
Im not exaggerating when I say that these wraps are on our dinner rotation more frequently than any other meal.
Because they are so customizable and are great for using up leftover rice and/or chicken, I can throw them together FAST. They are great for busy evenings or on-the-go meals!
Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe Tips
- If you want a heartier sauce, substitute beef or chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.
- Always check the expiration date for dried herbs and spices. Even though they are dried, the fresher they are the better the sauce will be.
- When making a sauce from scratch, always monitor your heat level. You want to be sure your heat is not too high, you don’t want charred spices!
- To avoid lumps, keep a whisk close by, especially when you add the broth to the rest of the spices.
Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe Ingredients
Growing up in the Midwest, I thought of enchilada sauce as one thing: the tomato-based stuff that comes in a can. But when I moved to Austin, I learned that in Mexican and Tex Mex cooking, enchilada sauce doesnt always look one way. It can have a base of zingy tomatillos or be a chili gravy made from broth and spices. Or it can be a mole or a piquant blend of rehydrated dried chiles. All thats to say that this recipe is just one type of enchilada sauce, basically an upgraded version of the canned kind. Though I love experimenting with other styles of enchilada sauce as well, I often come back to this one because its so easy to prepare.
Heres what youll need to make it:
- Tomato sauce It creates the sauces tangy base.
- Avocado oil For richness. I like its neutral flavor here, though if you dont have it on hand, olive oil would work too.
- All-purpose flour To thicken the sauce.
- Chili powder For heat and smoky flavor. Use store-bought, or make your own.
- Cumin It adds earthy flavor.
- Garlic powder It makes the sauce intensely savory.
- Dried oregano For aromatic, herbal notes.
- Vegetable broth It loosens the sauce, giving it the perfect consistency to pour over enchiladas.
- And sea salt To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
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Three: Add In Stock And Simmer
Next you will whisk in the stock mixing constantly to prevent lumps. You will want to simmer the sauce on medium low heat. You want the sauce to lightly bubble for about 10 minutes.
The sauce will thicken as it cooks down, and then you can taste and add additional salt or seasonings to adjust the flavor to your liking.
Tip: Once the sauce is done you will use the enchilada sauce for your preferred recipes.
How Spicy Is Enchilada Sauce
This Enchilada Sauce recipe is not spicy, just flavorful if you dont add the cayenne pepper. With the cayenne pepper it has a medium kick.
The chili powder is not pure chile powder meaning, chili powder is mixed with other seasonings verses chile powder which is made with only ground up chile peppers. Of course, there are some variances in heat between different brands, so I recommend tasting the enchilada sauce before deciding if you want to add the cayenne pepper. And of course, if you would like it spicier, amp up the chili powder or cayenne pepper to taste.
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How To Make Easy Enchilada Sauce
- Heat vegetable oil and butter together in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted add the chili seasoning and stir to combine.
- Add all-purpose flour to make a roux to thicken the sauce. Stir to combine and cook the mixture for a minute or so.
- Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock and stir. Simmer the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes or until its thickened.
- Taste the enchilada sauce and add salt, to taste.
Want to join me in saying goodbye to store-bought enchilada sauce? I hope you give this easy recipe a try!
Happy cooking,
What Is The Difference Between Red And Green Enchilada Sauce
Aside from the color, the primary difference between red and green enchilada sauce is the type of chili used to make the sauce. Red enchilada sauce is made with dried red chilies such New Mexico chiles, Ancho chiles, or Cascabel chiles. Green enchilada sauce, however is made with green chiles, such as Anaheim, hatch chiles, jalapenos and/or serrano peppers.
Red enchilada sauce is warm, robust and earthy whereas green enchilada sauce is herby, tangy, and bright . Red enchilada sauce also tends to be naturally sweeter than green enchilada sauce because it is made with red chiles the red color is indicative that the peppers are ripe as opposed to green chiles and tomatillos which are not yet ripe.
As far as which enchilada sauce is spicier? It all comes down to the chili. If serrano peppers are used in the green enchilada sauce, it will knock the socks off of any red enchilada sauce made with ancho chiles . The same role reversal can take place by swapping chiles to make red enchilada sauce spicier.
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Watch How To Make Enchilada Sauce
Enchilada sauce recipe adapted from my spinach artichoke enchiladas.
Storage suggestions: Extra enchilada sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a wide-mouth mason jar, leaving some room at the top for expansion , or a freezer bag .
Make it gluten free: Just use gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I tried with Bobs Red Mill brand and it worked great.Make it tomato free: You can omit the tomato paste. You might want to up the spices a bit. The sauce wont taste quite like the enchilada sauce you might buy at the store, but it will still be good!Change it up: The chili powder, cumin and garlic powder are essential here, but feel free to change up the other spices to suit your preferences.If you love this sauce: Check out more of my Mexican recipes here!
Secret To Restaurant Style Enchilada Sauce
When I was researching about this recipe, I came across so many websites that had made a similar recipe. And, trust me I tried most of them. I had to make at least 5-different enchilada sauces to figure out what was going wrong.
You see, the secret to a restaurant-style enchilada sauce is in the roux. And, that’s not it. It’s also about when to add the roux to your oil.
You add your roux to a skillet where you just poured in oil and your roux will start forming clumps.
You don’t whisk your roux and leave it alone it will get burnt. The answer is there is no one-secret to a restaurant-style Enchilada Sauce.
It’s about adding things at appropriate time. Maintaining the order and last but not the least – whisking until there are no lumps.
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Make Enchilada Sauce: Heat And Combine
Now that you have the best ingredients to make enchilada sauce, you must put them all together. This seems pretty self-explanatory, but it is important to follow the correct order so that your sauce will be smooth and thick. First, you should heat the oil on a medium to low heat in a sauce pan. Then, the flour may be added. Stir the flour and oil for one minute and then add in the other ingredients . Gradually pour the chicken broth into the flour, spices, and oil. Be sure to use a whisk to constantly stir as you add the broth to prevent lumps from forming. Allow the sauce to simmer at a low heat for about 10-15 minutes.
You know how to make enchilada sauce like a pro. If you would like to compare your home-style recipe with our own enchilada sauce, come and visit Casa Blanca at one of our our locations in Andover, North Andover, and North Billerica. We offer a number of authentic Mexican dishes in a family-friendly atmosphere.
Have you ever tried to make enchilada sauce? We would love to hear about your cooking experience!
Make Enchilada Sauce: Gather The Ingredients
Quality ingredients play a huge role in the final product of your enchiladas. If you want to make enchilada sauce of the best quality, you should be sure to find the best ingredients. Most important to enchilada sauce is the chili powder. Believe us. You will taste the difference between the cheap powder and the one which may cost an extra buck. In order to make enchilada sauce, you will need the following ingredients.
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
*This recipe is from Gimmesomeoven
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How To Cook The Wraps For Maximum Crispiness
These wraps are magical, in part, because of how they are cooked. They outside is so crispy and crunchy while the inside is hot and bubbly and so flavorful!
The two most important steps in this process are:
ONE: brushing oil or spraying cooking spray over the seam side of the wrap, and then
TWO: placing the wrap seam side down on a hot griddle or skillet
Cooking the wraps seam side down first seals the tortilla so it doesnt come unwrapped when flipping. The oil/cooking spray helps with that while also providing an extra crispy goodness to the wrap.
After they cook for a few minutes seam side down, use a wide spatula to flip and cook the wraps on the other side until golden.
Its totally normal for a little filling to spill out while flipping/cooking. Just tuck it back into the ends of the tortilla with the spatula and carry on.
Once the wraps come off the hot griddle, I stack them on a cutting board, cut them in half and serve them there.
I mean, just speaking honestly here, dinner is almost always a casual affair at our house, but especially so when these crispy chicken enchilada wraps appear.
If I have kids going a million directions, Ill make these wraps, wrap them in foil to stay warm, and send them out the door with the kids who have sports practices or other commitments.
The wraps also freeze great to reheat and devour later.
How To Make Enchilada Lasagna In A Crock Pot
Aunt Lou here.So, I took a recipe Cris made about 10 years ago in her oven, made some adjustments to suite my familys preferences and tried it in my crock pot. The results were an amazing dish that had even my picky eater cleaning her plate! While this recipe is not a quick recipe, the steps in the recipe are easy. The effort needed for the prep work is definitely worth it. The texture of the corn tortillas makes them hold up really well in this dish, and we loved the way that the flavors of the beef mixture, cheese and enchilada sauce all combined. It is just really really good. I dont know any other way to say it. My loved ones and I all really enjoyed it! I hope you and your loved ones do too!
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What I Love About This Recipe
- First, its easy! Like, 15-minutes easy and it calls for ingredients you probably already have on hand in your pantry.
- It has a touch of butter. Instead of using all oil, I add some butter which gives the sauce a touch of richness and buttery flavor. Its not authentic, but its delicious.
- You dont need a bunch of spices. Instead of mixing chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder to make chili seasoning, I use a premade chili seasoning blend. It has everything in it so no need to dig through the spice cabinet looking for different spices. You can find chili seasoning blends at the store sometimes local brands are better than national brands, so try a few and pick a favorite.
- If you make a lot of recipes with enchilada sauce, you can easily double or triple this recipe and make a big batch.
- For storage, you can keep it in the fridge or it will keep in the freezer for several months.
Red Vs Green Enchilada Sauce:
The main difference between red and green enchilada sauce is the type of chili that was used. Red enchilada sauce is made with red chilies . Green enchilada sauce is made with green chilis, tomatillos, and sometimes jalapeños, so it tends to have a larger heat range. It can be spicy, but doesnt have to be.
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Allrecipes Community Tips And Praise
“Excellent!” raves TC. “Be sure to NOT use the run-of-the-mill chili powder it’ll ruin it. I used New Mexico Chili Powder, fresh garlic , and some cayenne for a little kick. Superior to the canned stuff, by far.”
“I just made this sauce and actually can’t wait to try it once it has sat overnight,” shares home cook Blondie in CA. “I too doubled the garlic, used regular flour, and added approximately one teaspoon of sugar to this recipe. Love how easy it is to make! Hubby loves it.”
“Absolutely delicious!” says kpierce. “So simple and I had all the ingredients at home!!
Editorial contributions by Rai Mincey
How To Make Enchilada Sauce With Tomato Sauce
Step 1: Make the Roux
The flour mixture is one of the most essential components of Enchilada Sauce. To make the flour mixture all you have to do is just combine all purpose flour with chili powder, ground cumin, and garlic powder. Then you can set it aside.
Step 2: Cook Roux
In a medium skillet heat some olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil turns hot add the flour mixture. Whisk until it turns brown for about 2-minutes.
Step 3: Add other ingredients
Add tomato paste and stir it in. Slowly pour low sodium chicken broth or beef broth or plain water. Whisk until combined. Then add dried oregano, freshly ground black pepper, ground cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Cook on low until the sauce thickens for 5-6 minutes. Taste the seasoning and remove from heat. Use it any of your favorite recipes.
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Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
After years of making my easy homemade enchilada sauce for some of my favorite recipes, I thought it was finally time to give the sauce its own post. Considering that I google my own enchilada recipes to find my sauce at least a few times a month, it needed it own place.
My easy homemade enchilada sauce is exactly how it sounds. It takes just minutes to whip up and is fantastic in everything from soup, casserole and yes, enchiladas. This sauce is practically drinkable. Its saucy, rich, complex and slightly spicy. If you are looking for a simple enchilada sauce to make for your next enchilada recipe this is it!
For years I didnt think I liked enchiladas because I was never impressed with canned sauce. It always tasted thin, watery and flavorless. Then, I ordered enchiladas at once of our favorite Mexican restaurants and Im pretty sure I licked the plate clean. I had never had sauce like that before and knew that was the missing secret weapon for amazing enchiladas.
After researching and trying a few other recipes, I tweaked what I liked to make it my own. Its got just enough heat to still be family friendly and ready in roughly 15 minutes.
Tips For The Best Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Measure out seasonings before you start making the red enchilada sauce. You will want to add the seasonings all at once with the flour and since there are quite a few -it is helpful to measure them out first.
- Cook the flour for a full two minutes before adding the tomato paste. We dont want any raw flour taste to ruin our enchilada sauce!
- Add the chicken broth gradually so you have time whisk it into the flour and decrease the number of lumps you have to extinguish later.
- Add the chicken broth over low heat. This prevents the broth from bubbling and spattering, but most importantly, it really gives you time to whisk the flour and broth together before heat is introduced which makes getting rid of lumps 10X harder.
- Simmer to desired consistency. This can be different for every individual, but just make sure it is at least thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- The sugar, cocoa powder and the cinnamon really enhance the authentic enchilada sauce recipe so please dont skip them!
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How Spicy Is Red Enchilada Sauce
The chili powder listed in the recipe below is a store-bought mix of spices used to season chili. It is not straight chile powder, or pure ground chile peppers, which can be extremely spicy. The brand of chili powder I use is completely mild, but other brands can sometimes carry some heat. If you are using a spicy chili powder, simply reduce or eliminate the cayenne powder from this recipe to compensate. The heat level of the recipe below, using McCormicks chili powder, is medium spicy, like a medium salsa.
Ingredients For Homemade Enchilada Sauce
To make this simple recipe, youll need a handful of pantry spices plus a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce and either broth or water.
You are essentially making enchilada gravy, starting with a roux of flour and oil then warming in the spices and adding enough liquid of tomato sauce and water or vegetable broth. Saucy enchiladas are my favorite and this sauce makes enough for a batch of enchiladas, with some leftover depending on how wet you like yours.
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