Hairy Bikers Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Hairy Bikers chicken enchiladas fill toasted tortillas with spiced chicken strips and red peppers, then bake them under Cheddar in a from-scratch chipotle sauce. It takes about 70 minutes from Our Family Favourites, serves 4 at 795 kcal, and the book includes its own enchilada spice mix.

A six-spice blend of oregano, cumin, garlic powder, cinnamon, allspice, and chilli powder goes into the sauce alongside chipotle paste and canned tomatoes. That sauce simmers for thirty minutes then gets blitzed smooth, and the headnote calls the whole thing a mates-and-beers dinner.

Raw tortillas soak up moisture and turn to mush, so the book toasts each one in a dry pan before filling. The sauce covers the middle but not the ends, so those exposed edges crisp during baking and add crunch against the soft filling.

Hairy Bikers Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Mexican Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 55 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 10 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:795 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Red onions, peppers, and chicken strips fry with cumin seeds until charred, then roll inside tortillas warmed in a dry pan. The dish is built with enchilada sauce on the bottom, filled tortillas in the middle, and soured cream, Cheddar, and jalapeños on top before a final bake.

Ingredients

For the Enchilada Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1½ tbsp enchilada spice mix or shop-bought taco spice mix
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp chipotle paste or hot sauce
• 800g canned tomatoes or passata
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the Spice Mix

• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp chilli powder

For the Chicken Filling

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 400g skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh, cut into strips
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander stems

To Assemble

• 8 tortillas
• 250g soured cream, optional
• Coriander leaves
• 150g Cheddar, grated
• Pickled jalapeños, optional
• Lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Make the spice mix: Combine the oregano, cumin, garlic powder, cinnamon, allspice, and chilli powder. Store any leftover in a jar.
2. Make the sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the spice mix, tomato purée, and chipotle paste. Stir until the purée smells intensely savoury, then add the tomatoes with 100ml of water and the bay leaf. Season, then simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes until reduced. Remove the bay leaf and blitz smooth.
3. Cook the filling: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the red onions and peppers over a high heat until softened and charred in spots. Stir in the cumin seeds, add the chicken strips, and fry until cooked through. Add the garlic and coriander stems, cook for 2 more minutes, then stir in a ladleful of enchilada sauce to coat everything. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
4. Assemble: Toast each tortilla in a dry frying pan, then divide the chicken filling between them and roll up. Spread a couple of ladlefuls of sauce over the base of a large ovenproof dish, then arrange the tortillas seam-side down on top.
5. Top and bake: Ladle more sauce over the tortillas but leave the rolled edges uncovered so they crisp up. Dot with soured cream if using, then scatter over coriander, Cheddar, and jalapeños. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Serve with lime wedges and extra soured cream.

FAQs

What is in the enchilada spice mix?

The book gives its own blend: dried oregano, ground cumin, garlic powder, cinnamon, allspice, and chilli powder. The cinnamon and allspice lift it above a generic taco seasoning, because they add a warm, rounded depth underneath the heat. You can swap in a shop-bought taco mix if short on time, but the homemade version takes seconds to stir together.

Why toast the tortillas before filling them?

A raw tortilla soaks up moisture and turns to mush after 25 minutes in the oven. Dry-toasting each side for a few seconds sets the surface, so the tortilla holds its shape instead of dissolving.

Why does the recipe leave the tortilla edges uncovered?

The sauce goes over the middle of the rolled tortillas but not the ends, and that is deliberate. Those exposed edges dry out and crisp during baking, which gives every bite a contrast between the soft saucy centre and the crunchy edges. If you blanket the whole dish in sauce, you lose that texture completely.

How is this different from chicken fajitas?

Fajitas are served open, with the filling, salsa, and soured cream on the side for everyone to build their own wrap. Enchiladas are rolled, sauced, covered in cheese, and baked as a single dish. The baking step changes everything, because the sauce reduces into the tortillas and the cheese melts into a crust.

For another Mexican staple built on slow-simmered spiced meat, their chilli con carne uses a kilo of beef with both mince and diced chuck.

Can I use leftover roast chicken instead of raw?

Yes, and it saves about ten minutes of cooking. Shred the leftover chicken and toss it with the fried onions, peppers, and a ladleful of sauce to warm through. Skip the frying step for the meat and go straight to assembling the tortillas.

For another chicken and pepper dish that takes a different direction, their Spanish chicken roasts thighs with chorizo, potatoes, and tomatoes in one tin.