One of the best known Tex-Mex dishes – yummy, easy and filling comfort food. There are many ways of doing enchiladas. My vote goes for home-made sauce which makes all the difference.

Preparation time: 1 hour (with baking)

What you need:

1 ½ lb.(750g) chicken breast, cut into small and thin ½ inch/1 cm pieces

1 tablespoon oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 can (15oz/400g) black beans, drained

8 flour tortillas (you can also use corn tortillas)

2 ½ cups (300g) shredded Mexican-blend cheese (you can substitute with shredded Mozzarella cheese)

Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

3 teaspoons chili powder (more if you like it really hot!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 ¼ cups (540ml) veggie or chicken broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

How to do it:

Start with the sauce:

Mix in a small bowl or cup, 4 tablespoons of broth with four, stir well and make sure there are no lumps; add more chicken broth if the texture is to dry, it should be a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat oil in a small pot at medium heat, add garlic and fry for 1 minute until fragrant

Add chili powder, salt, cumin and dried oregano and whisk together for 30 seconds.

Slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly

Add the flour-broth mixture and stir well, make sure there are no lumps

Add the tomato paste and whisk the enchilada sauce until completely smooth.

Set aside.

For the chicken mixture

Preheat oven to 350ºF (200C)

In a medium size pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Add garlic and cook for another minute

Add diced chicken and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the mixture for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through. 

Add in the beans and stir until evenly combined.  Remove pan from heat and set aside.

To assemble the enchiladas

Microwave the tortillas on a plate for 1 minute so they are nice and warm and easy to roll.

Set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, chicken mixture, and cheese.

Lay out a tortilla and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla.  

Put a generous spoonful (or 1 ½ spoons) of the chicken mixture in the center of the tortilla; top with shredded cheese.

Roll the tortillas tightly to close and place in a large baking dish seam side down.

When all rolled-up tortillas are in the dish, spread any remaining sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, sprinkle remaining cheese on top

Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Note: You can add additional optional toppings: diced onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded lettuce.