Enchiladas Suizas are a cheesy and creamy Mexican delight! Chef Tom grills chicken in the Yoder Smokers Wood-Fired Oven. The pulled chicken is loaded into Caramelo Blue and White corn tortillas then smothered with a creamy blended tomatillo, serrano & poblano salsa. Mixed and topped with Oaxaca cheese, this chicken enchilada recipe is sure to satisfy.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The chicken and salsa vegetables roast side by side. Cooking the chicken alongside the tomatillos, poblano, serranos, and onion in the same cast iron dish means the salsa base picks up rendered chicken flavor while everything chars together in one pass.
- A quick fry keeps the tortillas from falling apart. Frying each tortilla just until it puffs and stays pliable is what lets it roll around the filling without cracking or turning into mush once it's baked in sauce.
- Salsa gets folded into the filling and poured on top. Mixing some of the blended salsa directly into the shredded chicken, then using more as a base and topping layer, means the enchiladas are seasoned from the inside out, not just sauced on the surface.
- Crema goes in last, off the heat. Blending the Mexican crema into the salsa only after the vegetables are already smooth keeps the sauce from breaking or separating, giving it that classic silky, creamy texture suizas are named for.
Enchiladas Suizas
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.8 stars by 5 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
6
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
1064
Treat yourself to authentic flavors of Mexico with Enchiladas Suizas! This cheesy and creamy recipe is cooked in a Wood-Fired Oven, with pulled chicken nestled in two tortillas. Every bite is full of the blended tomatillo, serrano & poblano salsa, topped with gooey Oaxaca cheese. Satisfy your cravings with this delicious chicken enchilada recipe!
Ingredients
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20 oz chicken (1 boneless skinless breast, 1 boneless skinless thigh)
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Cattleman’s Grill Road House Beef & Steak Rub
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Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat, as needed
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1 lb Oaxaca cheese, shredded
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12-14 Caramelo corn tortillas
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Vegetable oil for frying
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Cilantro, minced, for garnish
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Cotija cheese, crumbled, for garnish
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1 lb tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed
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1 poblano pepper
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1-3 serrano peppers (depending on how spicy you like)
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1/2 white onion, halved
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1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
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3 cloves garlic, smashed
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Juice of one small lime (about 2 tbsp)
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1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
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1 cup Mexican crema
For the Creamy Salsa Verde (yields 3 cups before crema)
Directions
Preheat your Yoder smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 450ºF with the Yoder smokers Wood-Fired Oven installed. Place a Lodge 10.5” x 15.5” Cast Iron Baking Dish inside the wood-fired oven to preheat.
Season your chicken with the Cattleman’s Grill Road House Beef & Steak Rub.
Spray the baking dish with the spray duck fat (or other oil/spray). Place the chicken on the cast iron.
Add the tomatillos, poblano, Serranos and onion to the cast iron, as well. Cook until the tomatillos are softened and juices just begin to escape. The skin on the peppers should be blistered and slightly charred. The onion should be softened and slightly charred. Total cook time about 15-20 minutes.
Flip the chicken when the bottom is browned. Continue cooking until the chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF and the thighs 175ºF, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to bowl or dish to rest.
Adjust the grill temperature down to 350ºF.
While the chicken and salsa ingredients are cooking, fry your tortillas. Pour vegetable oil into a Lodge 8” Steel Skillet until it is about 1/2” deep. Bring the oil up to about 350ºF-400ºF. Carefully fry the corn tortillas, one by one, very briefly, just until the tortilla begins to puff, but is still very pliable. Fry on both sides then transfer to a bowl or plate lined with paper towels.
To make the salsa verde, first peel the skins from the peppers and discard along with any stems. Transfer the flesh of the pepper to the Vitamix Blender. Add the softened tomatillos and onion as well as the cilantro, garlic, lime juice and Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning. Blend until smooth. Add the Mexican crema and blend just until combined.
Shred the cooled chicken by hand. Add 3/4 cup of the salsa to the shredded chicken and mix well. Mix in half (8 oz) of the shredded Oaxaca cheese. Save the other half for topping.
Pour one cup of the salsa in the bottom of a Lodge Cast Iron Casserole Dish and spread evenly.
Top the tortillas with the chicken and cheese filling. Roll up and transfer to the casserole dish. You should have 12-14 enchiladas.
Pour the remaining salsa on top of the enchiladas and spread evenly. Distribute evenly the remaining shredded Oaxaca cheese on top. Transfer to the Yoder smokers Wood-Fired Oven.
Bake for 20-25 minutes total, spinning the casserole dish halfway through. The enchiladas are done when browned on top and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Serve topped with minced cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why roast the salsa vegetables in the same dish as the chicken?
Cooking the tomatillos, poblano, serranos, and onion alongside the chicken lets the salsa base pick up rendered chicken flavor and char at the same time, so you're not running two separate cooking steps.
Why fry the tortillas so briefly before filling them?
A quick fry, just until the tortilla puffs, keeps it pliable enough to roll around the filling without tearing. Frying it longer would make it too crisp to wrap and it would crack instead of rolling.
What internal temperature should the chicken breast actually reach?
This recipe as written lists 160°F for the breast, but USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for poultry is 165°F. Cook the breast to 165°F to make sure it's fully safe before shredding it into the filling.
Why peel the skins off the roasted peppers before blending?
The blistered, charred skin can make the finished salsa bitter or give it an inconsistent texture. Peeling it off after roasting keeps the salsa smooth and lets the roasted pepper flavor come through cleanly.
Why add the Mexican crema at the very end of blending?
Blending the crema in only after the vegetables are already smooth keeps the dairy from breaking under too much processing, so the finished salsa stays silky instead of curdling.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — everything here works in a home oven and stovetop; the wood-fired oven adds char and smoke, but a hot oven and a skillet for roasting the vegetables and frying the tortillas will get you most of the way there.
Recipe Highlights
Roasting chicken and salsa vegetables together: Using one cast iron dish for both means the tomatillos and peppers roast in the same rendered fat and juices the chicken releases, building extra flavor into the salsa base.
The brief tortilla fry: Frying just until the tortilla puffs and stays pliable is the difference between a wrap that rolls cleanly and one that cracks apart under the filling.
Salsa used three ways: Folding some into the shredded chicken, spreading a layer on the bottom of the dish, and pouring more on top means every component of the dish gets seasoned, not just the surface.
Spinning the dish halfway through baking: Rotating the casserole in the wood-fired oven compensates for uneven heat, helping the enchiladas brown evenly on top instead of scorching on one side.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 enchilada
- per serving
- Calories
- 1064
- Fat
- 66 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 39 grams
- Cholesterol
- 231 milligrams
- Sodium
- 2793 milligrams
- Carbs
- 32 grams
- Sugar
- 2 grams
- Protein
- 83 grams
