Chicken Enchiladas with Three Peppers

This enchilada sauce uses two kinds of dried chile peppers as a base: Arbol chiles are spicy, small, and deep crimson. Ancho chiles (aka dried poblano chiles) pack some heat too, but are not quite as spicy as arbols and have a warm and almost chocolaty flavor to them. I recommend doubling or tripling the enchilada sauce recipe and freezing the extra batches in a freezer-safe container. so that you can make them more quickly next time! • serves 6

---

Enchilada Sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 dried ancho (poblano) or New Mexico chiles
• 3 dried arbol chiles or cayenne peppers
• 5 cups water
• 6 large plum tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Chicken and Bell Pepper Enchiladas

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups crumbled queso fresco
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 14 corn tortillas
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• ¾ cup diced fresh cilantro

For the enchilada sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and ancho and arbol chiles and stir so that everything is coated in the oil. Cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the onions become translucent and the chiles soften, about 15 minutes. Stir in the water, tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, salt, oregano, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the tomato chunks have mostly disintegrated, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the enchiladas, in a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Rub the spices onto the chicken breasts. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 10 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove and let cool until warm enough to handle. Tear the chicken into small strips using either your hands or two forks. Add 1 cup of the queso fresco and the bell pepper and toss to combine.

Pour enough of the enchilada sauce into two 9 by 13-inch casserole dishes to just cover the bottoms of the pans (there should be about a ½-inch layer of sauce). Dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce that is still in the food processor so that it is completely coated and lay it flat on a work surface. Lay a small handful of the chicken filling in a line down the middle of the tortilla. Gently fold the flaps on each side over the filling, flip the enchilada over (taking care not to spill the filling out the ends), and set it in one pan with the folded side on the bottom to keep the enchiladas closed. Continue this process until all of the enchiladas have been assembled and packed into the pans. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over both pans and sprinkle the remaining queso fresco over the tops.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the enchiladas have turned a deep red. Sprinkle the red onion and cilantro over the enchiladas and serve.