Canyon Ranch Grilled Chicken Enchiladas
This recipe originated from the Canyon Ranch health resort in Tucson, AZ, where it is often requested. My version uses vine-ripened tomatoes for wonderful taste and slightly fewer chilies, making it kid-friendly. Add 1-2 tsp more chili for extra heat. I like to serve this with my zesty black beans and corn salsa.
This recipe originated from the Canyon Ranch health resort in Tucson, AZ, where it is often requested. My version uses vine-ripened tomatoes for wonderful taste and slightly fewer chilies, making it kid-friendly. Add 1-2 tsp more chili for extra heat. I like to serve this with my zesty black beans and corn salsa.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 -- enchilada sauce --
- 8 vine ripened tomatoes quartered
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1.5 teaspoon ground red chili
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.25 cup honey warmed
- 0.25 teaspoon pepper
- 1 -- chicken --
- 1 teaspoon ground red chili
- 2 teaspoon water
- 2 chicken breast skinless, boneless
- 8 corn tortillas
- 8 ounce cheddar grated
- 4 ounce diced green chile
- nonfat sour cream (optional)
- Carbohydrate 175.003143982595 g
- Cholesterol 127.975 mg
- Fat 33.0059695515602 g
- Fiber 25.2352031360506 g
- Protein 63.5420972281203 g
- Saturated Fat 14.2840028931954 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (832g)
- Sodium 706.157525813871 mg
- Sugar 149.767940846544 g
- Trans Fat 2.61552629184078 g
- Calories 1213 calories
Step-by-step
- To make your sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Put your tomatoes, onion and garlic on baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until onions are golden brown.
- Cool.
- Transfer your cooled tomato, onion and garlic mixture to a blender and then add the ground red chile, cumin, salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
- Set aside.
- To prepare your chicken: Take both chicken breasts and cut in half, making 4 pieces.
- Make a paste or rub by combining the 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground red chili, 1 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp of water.
- Mix well and rub all over your 4 chicken halves.
- Either grill or broil your chicken pieces for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear.
- Cool your chicken pieces.
- When cool, slice each chicken breast half into 4 long strips.
- Putting together your enchiladas: Lay 8 tortillas out on a flat surface.
- On each tortilla, layer 2 strips of chicken, 1 TBL of cheese, and 1 TBL of green chile.
- Roll tortillas up and place face down into a 13 x 9 casserole dish.
- Cover enchiladas with the enchilada sauce and then sprinkle remaining cheese onto the dish.
- Reduce your oven temperature down to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is hot and bubbly.
- Garnish with sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro, if desired.
Roasting the tomatoes, onions, and garlic at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes builds the foundational flavor of the sauce before any blending occurs. Letting this roasted vegetable base cool completely before blending prevents pressure buildup in the jar and ensures the spices disperse evenly into a smooth purée. When applying the spice rub to the chicken, combine the paprika, cumin, chili, oil, and water into a cohesive paste to distribute the seasonings uniformly across the meat. Grilling or broiling the chicken halves for three to five minutes per side cooks the protein quickly while retaining internal moisture. Slicing the cooled chicken into four long strips per half allows for precise distribution inside each of the eight corn tortillas.
Assembling these enchiladas ahead of time requires careful management of moisture to prevent the corn tortillas from turning soggy. Assemble the dish up to twenty-four hours in advance, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator before baking. When dealing with make-ahead casseroles containing corn tortillas, the starch absorbs liquid over extended refrigeration. Pouring the sauce over the rolled tortillas immediately before baking maintains structural integrity better than prolonged soaking in raw liquid. Uncovered baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes evaporates excess surface moisture while melting the cheddar.
Freezing this dish successfully requires shifting from glass baking dishes to disposable foil pans rated for freezer storage. Wrap the unbaked, assembled enchiladas tightly in a layer of plastic wrap followed by heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Store the frozen casserole for up to two months safely. Thaw the frozen enchiladas completely in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to baking to ensure the center reaches a safe temperature without burning the cheese on top. Direct oven baking from a frozen state causes uneven heating, leaving the middle cold while the edges overcook.
Fresh vine-ripened tomatoes yield a brighter, more acidic sauce profile compared to canned tomato products, which often contain added sodium and citric acid as preservatives. Roasting fresh garlic alongside the tomatoes mellows the allium bite, replacing harsh raw notes with caramelized sweetness. Dried ground red chili powder provides consistent heat without introducing excess liquid volume that could thin the sauce during the blending phase. Swapping fresh tomatoes for canned variants alters the moisture content, requiring an adjustment in roasting or reduction time to achieve the desired sauce thickness.
