Enchilada Sauce

​I love chicken enchiladas.  What I don't love is any canned enchilada sauce.  This made me come up with my own recipe that is delicious on shrimp, chicken or veggie enchiladas. 

 I make big batches of this sauce when I have time, (big batch recipe at the end of this post) and keep it frozen in quart, deli containers.  

Buy a cooked, rotisserie chicken, some tortillas, defrost some sauce and you can have enchiladas any night of the week.
Just in time for Cinco de Mayo!  ​

Enchilada Sauce
3 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. chili powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1-1/2 cups of crushed tomatoes (I have used tomato sauce and it works too)
1-1/2 cups of chicken broth (use veggie broth if you are keeping it vegetarian)
Salt & Sugar​*

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat.  Add chili powder, garlic and oregano and cook a minute or two, stirring until you begin to smell the spices coming back to life. Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Now add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, broth and stir to combine.  Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The sauce will seem a bit thin but it does thicken as it cools.

This sauce will be a rich red color.  If you like your enchilada sauce lighter, whisk in a couple of tablespoons of sour cream or Mexican style crema.

Enchilada Assembly & Baking
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Once the sauce has cooled a bit, you can begin to make your enchiladas.  Spray some cooking spray in a square or rectangular baking dish and add enough enchilada sauce to lightly cover the bottom.  Dip your tortilla in the pan of sauce that you previously made on the stove, letting the excess sauce fall back into the pan, and place on a flat surface like a plate or cutting board.  This will make the tortilla a little soft and easier to roll.  In the lower half of the tortilla, add your shredded chicken, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, green onion; anything you like.  Make sure you spread out your fillings or you will end up with too much in the middle and empty ends.  Begin at the bottom and roll your tortilla up. Place it in your prepared baking dish seam side down.  Top with more enchilada sauce, cheese and salsa.  

Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes.  Then remove the foil and continue to bake about 10 more minutes or until the cheese on top is melted.  

Big Batch Sauce
(Makes 4 quarts)

6 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chili powder
12 garlic cloves, minced
8 tsp. dried oregano
3-6oz. cans tomato paste
106oz. canned tomatoes
8 cups chicken broth
Salt & Sugar*

* Taste your sauce for salt and sugar.  The salt content will depend on the brand of tomato products you use.  Some are saltier than others.  The same goes with sugar.  You may not need to add any to your sauce but it will depend on your chili powder. Some are sweeter and some are more bitter.  Start will little amounts; you can always add but you can't remove.