Oh my goodness, I am pretty obsessed with this recipe. I’m always excited to share my new recipes with you, but this one is next level excitement. Ever since we made this recipe, I have been dreaming about these chicken enchiladas. I cannot wait for you to get cooking.

prune enchiladas in a pan

How to Make Your Enchilada Sauce

To start making our chicken enchiladas, we used Everyday Roast Chicken Breasts. Feel free to use whatever chicken you’d like. Just make sure it’s juicy and tender and shreddable. Once you have your chicken, you can set it aside to make your secret sauce.

enchiladas prep

Now, you are going to have to trust me on this sauce. It is truly something spectacular, and I’m telling you now that every ingredient is crucial. It all begins with California prunes. We start this process by making a prune wine reduction. While you might turn your nose up at the mention of prunes, I cannot say enough good things about them. They bring such an incredible depth of flavor, and the product is an incredible jammy consistency.

Once you have your reduction, we are going to create the sauce for our chicken enchiladas. We combine crushed tomatoes with chipotle adobo, salt, and some of the prune jam that we puréed in a pot. The sauce needs to simmer for about fifteen minutes then it is ready to use.

Why to Use the Secret Ingredient

You know how much I love California, so I am delighted that California produces 99% of the country’s prunes. And I have a total love affair with California Prunes. They are not only packed with flavor, but they also are great for digestion, have lots of antioxidants, and are good for heart health too! I love making delicious food, but it’s also important for me to feel my best during and after eating too. That’s why an ingredient like prunes is so amazing.

prunes on a cutting board

How to Build Your Chicken Enchiladas

To assemble the chicken enchiladas, we first want to make the tortillas more pliable. In a pan with light olive oil, submerge the corn tortillas one at a time. This will only take a few seconds, because we just want to soften them, not make them crispy.

enchiladas in an uncle buddy

Once the tortillas are ready, we can build! In a bowl, combine the chicken with some of your enchilada sauce. Then one by one, fill a tortilla with two tablespoons of the chicken mixture, roll it up, and add it to your baking dish. Do this for all of your tortillas or until the baking dish is packed.

Finally, add more sauce on top of the tortillas along with your cheese and you are ready to bake! Once baked, serve with sour cream, cilantro and green onions, and enjoy!

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prune enchiladas in a pan

Secret Sauce Chicken Enchiladas (Gluten Free)

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  • Author: Teri Turner
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

These chicken enchiladas are next level delicious. They take some time to make but they are totally worth it.

Ingredients

For the Enchiladas:

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, divided

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

½ cup light olive oil

1 package (12, 5-inch) corn tortillas

 

For the Sauce:

1 cup California red wine

1 cup finely chopped California prunes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 piece of white onion

3 cups (one 28-ounce can) crushed tomatoes

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons chipotle adobo

3 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 cups favorite shredded cheese blend, we used Queso Chihuahua but works perfectly fine with shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

Sour cream, chopped cilantro, and chopped onions, to garnish

Instructions

Pre heat oven to 375°F.  Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet.

 

Put the chicken breasts on the baking sheet. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil per chicken breast, coating completely on both sides. Season each breast with ¾ teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Cook in the oven for about 35 minutes, then remove and, using a brush, baste the chicken breasts with their juices. Return to the oven and cook until browned, 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

 

Lower oven heat to 350°F.

 

Once the chicken breasts are cooled, use your hands to shred the chicken into small pieces. Set aside in a bowl.

 

In a medium sauce pan, add the red wine, chopped prunes, balsamic vinegar, coconut sugar, and pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine. Turn on heat to medium high and bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce temperature to low let it cook for about 30 minutes, or until sauce has reduced its liquid completely. Carefully pour the hot sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. The sauce is now a jam consistency. Set aside.

 

Note: You will need 7 tablespoons (just about ½ cup) of this delicious Magic Elixir, the rest you can save in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy over a piece of toast or add chocolate chips for a magical ice cream fudge sauce. (link)

 

In a large sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the chunk of onion. Let the onion cook and brown for about 7 minutes. (This will flavor the oil with onion,) Once the onion is brown, use tongs to remove it.

 

Add the crushed tomatoes, water, 7 tablespoons of the prune jam, 2 tablespoons of chipotle adobo and 3 teaspoons of salt. Stir to combine. Reduce the temperature to medium and allow the sauce to simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Add ¼ cup of the sauce into the bowl with the chicken and stir to coat completely. Set aside.

 

In a large pan, heat up ½ cup of the light olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking hot, lower heat to medium. Carefully, add one corn tortilla into the oil. Use tongs to help completely submerge the tortilla in the oil. You want this to heat and soften your tortilla but not make it crispy, about 10 seconds per tortilla. Remove and set aside on a towel-lined plate.

 

Once all the tortillas are lightly cooked in the oil, it is now time to start making your enchiladas.

 

In a large (9×13-inch) baking dish spread ½ cup of the sauce mixture.  Take one of your tortillas and put 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture across the bottom third of the tortilla and roll it up. Put it on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat this for the rest on the tortillas. Once finished, pour 1 cup of the sauce (or what remains) over the enchiladas to coat completely. Sprinkle 2 cups of the shredded cheese all over the enchiladas, to cover completely.

 

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbling. Remove from the oven and enjoy! Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped onions and extra smoky sauce for dipping!