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Well, I tried to make chicken enchiladas. It ended up becoming a casserole.
My big problem was when I went to put the stuffing on the tortilla and roll it up like a cigar, the corn tortilla always tore. I was using a technique I had seen on Foodtv where you dip the corn tortillas in some green enchilada sauce before putting the filling in and rolling, same problem. I tried heating them, same problem. I thought about dipping them in chicken stock, but I didn't go that far. I ended up just lining the bottom of the dish with tortillas, then a layer of sauced chicken, then a layer of cheese, then tortillas, then chicken, then cheese, then tortillas, then sauce, then cheese. I baked it for about 30 minutes.
How do you roll an enchilada without the tearing? Is it just that I used crappy tortillas?
The end result was fantastic in terms of taste, but I'd like to be able to do this dish properly in terms of presentation as well.
Here's how I made the whole dish...
diced onion, carmelized in olive oil in saucepan. added garlic and cumin. added 1/4 cup flour and cooked until I had a slightly browned roux.
then added 2 cups chicken stock and reduced it to a decent thickness of gravy. Added about a cup of green tomatillo salsa, half a can of diced green chilis. then added precooked chicken I had pulled off the bone. Cooked for a couple minutes.
Then I tried to roll the stuff, which is when the disaster happened.
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you need to fry the tortillas in a skillet in some oil first. Like 10 to 15 seconds per side if the temp is right. They'll stay soft but the oil they absorb will keep them pliable. if you dont want the extra fat, caserole is the way to go.
I would recommend also, not adding the chicken to your sauce. Make the sauce smooth, like melt 4T butter in a pan, add 4T flour for your roux, whisk in your chicken stock, add red chili powder, season, and theres your enchilada sauce. Caramelize your onions and all that jazz separately, and theres your filling, You can toss a little sauce into the filling if you like and you can dip your fried tortillas in a smooth sauce as well. Seems to make the process easier...
The only other thing I can think of, this just came to me, is steaming the tortillas. Ive done this when making fish tacos using corn tortillas, and it has made the tortillas pliable, so they bend without cracking. Maybe that'd be a good way, too. but seriously, for flavor, nothing beats a fried tortilla...
Frying the tortillas in oil is the best method. It only takes about 10 seconds to properly fry the tortilla.
The other option that works is to microwave the tortillas for 10-15 seconds to soften them and then roll them. I normally do batches of 3....you have to work pretty quick once you get them out of the microwave.
However...frying them is the best method by far. You run the risk of really soggy enchiladas with most other methods of softening the tortillas. Frying them really gives them the right texture to withstand cooking in the sauce for 15 - 20 minutes.
A good alternative to enchiladas for the lazy is to make chilaquiles instead of enchiladas. You just need to dump a high quality brand of tortilla chips in your baking dish and then add the shredded chicken, sauce (homemade is really simple and only requires broth, tomatillos, jalapenos, and onions) and cheese (I like menonito...has good chew and a buttery flavor). Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 400...then top with sliced red onion, cilantro and crema.
The other option that works is to microwave the tortillas for 10-15 seconds to soften them and then roll them. I normally do batches of 3....you have to work pretty quick once you get them out of the microwave.
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Use flour tortillas. They don't tear as easily and they also don't take away from the flavor of the sauce and stuffing, which IMO a corn tortilla does when used to make enchiladas.
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