Equipment you’ll need
- Food Processor or Blender (a Bullet Food Processor works well too)
- Kitchen Shears
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
Key Ingredients for this Recipe
- Ancho Chili, Guajillo Chili, Pasilla Chili: Dried Ancho, Guajillo, and Pasilla Chilis are the heart of this enchilada sauce, providing a complex blend of smoky, sweet, and earthy flavors with a mild to medium heat. These chilis are toasted to bring out their rich, deep profiles, creating an authentic and flavorful base for the sauce.
- Chipotle in Adobo: Chipotle in Adobo adds a smoky, spicy depth to the enchilada sauce, enhancing the heat and delivering a rich, robust flavor.
- Ground Cumin: With its slightly smoky and peppery flavor, ground dried cumin adds complexity, enhancing the roasted chilis and tomatoes for an authentic, rich taste.
- Garlic: Preparing a garlic confit will soften and enhance the flavor of the garlic so it blends well with the peppers and won’t be bitter.
- Roma Tomato: Roma tomatoes have a rich, tangy flavor and a naturally thicker consistency that enhances the sauce’s texture.
- White Onion: White onions provide a subtle sweetness that balances the richness of the roasted tomatoes and chilis.
How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Prepping the Garlic, Tomatoes, and Onion
- Remove the garlic cloves from the garlic head and peel the skin from each clove.
Pro-Tip – Boil two cups of water over high heat in a small saucepan. While the water is heating, remove the individual garlic cloves from the head by placing the entire head of garlic in a Ziploc bag – the Ziploc bag will prevent the paper layer from the garlic hear from flying all over. With the stem side down, firmly press down on the pointy end until you hear a pop signifying the garlic cloves have come apart. When the water is boiling, remove from the heat. Submerge the fresh cloves of garlic into the hot water and allow to sit for 4-5 minutes. The garlic skin will loosen and slide right off. Use caution! The garlic cloves will be hot.
- Place the peeled garlic cloves into a small ramekin dish then just cover with Olive Oil and roast for 30 minutes. When done roasting, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Reserve the infused oil from the confit for later use.
- While the garlic confit is roasting, clean and destem the tomatoes, then peel and quarter the onion. Place both the tomatoes and the onion into the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
Prepping the Chili Peppers
- Begin preheating the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Using a sharp knife, remove the stem from each chili pepper
- . . . then, using kitchen shears, cut down one side of the chili pepper, open the chili to remove the seeds and membrane, flatten the chili. Repeat for each chili pepper. When the chilis are cleaned, separate them into batches of 2-3 chilis.
- Add one tablespoon of the infused oil from the garlic confit to your pre-heated skillet, then add a single batch of chilis to the skillet. Toast the chili peppers until fragrant, about 20-30 seconds per side. Keep a close eye on the chilis as they are toasting. Things can quickly escalate and leave you with burned chilis. When toasted, remove the chilis from the heat and place in a large bowl. Repeat with each batch until all the chilis are toasted.
- Reconstitute the chilis by covering them with boiling water. Allow to steep in the hot water for at least 20-30 minutes.
Creating the Sauce
- In a blender or food processor add the chilies, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, roasted onion, and enough chicken stock enough stock so that you can process the mixture. Blend until smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine mess strainer.
Pro-Tip – If you are using a blender, begin by adding 1 cup of the stock to the blender, then add two chilis and blend on medium-high. Add additional peppers one at a time so you don’t overwhelm the blender. Add additional stock if necessary to blend. After all the chilis have been purred, add the onion, then the tomatoes and blend on high to puree.
- Heat one tablespoon of the infused oil from the garlic confit in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, add the strained sauce, then stir in enough additional chicken stock to thin down to a consistency similar to ketchup. Add the oregano, cumin, paprika, sugar, and salt. Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional chicken stock as necessary to maintain the consistency.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed.
Storing Enchilada Sauce
Refrigerator – Up to 3-4 days
Storing fresh-made or leftover enchilada sauce is simple and helps maintain its rich flavor for future meals. To keep your sauce fresh, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. If you plan to use the sauce within a few days, storing it in the refrigerator is your best option. The sauce will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days when properly sealed.
Freezer – Up to 3 months
For longer storage, you can freeze the enchilada sauce. Pour the cooled sauce into freezer-safe containers, leaving some room for expansion as it freezes. Label the containers with the date, and store in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to use the sauce, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or gently warm it on the stove.
If the sauce separates slightly after thawing, don’t worry – a quick stir will bring it back to its original, smooth consistency. Storing your enchilada sauce this way ensures you always have a delicious, homemade option ready for your favorite dishes, whether you’re making enchiladas, smothering burritos, or using it as a flavorful base for other recipes.
Authentic Enchilada Sauce
Elevate your Mexican dishes with this rich, smoky, and flavorful authentic enchilada sauce. Made from roasted tomatoes, Ancho, Guajillo, and Pasilla chilis, with a hint of Chipotle in Adobo, it’s the perfect homemade sauce to take your Mexican cuisine to the next level.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Roasting time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 2 1/2 - 3 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 head of fresh garlic
- 1 cup Olive Oil
- 4 small Roma tomatoes, roasted and peeled
- 1/2 white onion, peeled, quartered, and roasted
- 3 dried Ancho chili peppers
- 3 dried Guajillo chili peppers
- 2 dried Pasilla chili pepper
- 2 Chipotle in Adobo (use less to reduce the heat or more to increase it)
- 2–2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Place the peeled cloves of garlic from one head into a small ramekin dish and just cover with Olive oil. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes. When done, remove from oven and set aside to cool. Reserve the infused garlic oil from the confit.
- While the garlic is roasting, clean and destem the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes and the onion in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. When done roasting, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Using a sharp knife, remove the stem from each chili pepper, then, using kitchen shears, cut down one side of the chili pepper, open the chili to remove the seeds and membrane, flatten the chili. Repeat for each chili pepper. (see note #1) When the chilis are cleaned, separate them into batches of 2-3 chilis.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the infused oil from the garlic confit to the preheated skillet. Add a single batch of chilis to the skillet. Toast the chili peppers until fragrant, about 20-30 seconds per side. Keep a close eye on the chilis as they are toasting. Things can quickly escalate and leave you with burned chilis. When toasted, remove the chilis from the heat and place in a large bowl. Repeat with each batch until all the chilis are toasted. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Reconstitute the chilis by covering them with boiling water. Allow to steep in the hot water for at least 20-30 minutes.
- In a blender or food processor add the chilies, roasted tomatoes, 6 large cloves of the roasted garlic, roasted onion, and enough chicken stock enough stock so that you can process the mixture. Process until smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine mess strainer. (see note #2)
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the garlic infused oil from the confit in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, add the strained sauce, then stir in enough additional chicken stock to thin down to a consistency similar to ketchup. Add the oregano, cumin, paprika, sugar, and salt. Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional chicken stock as necessary to maintain the consistency. (see note #3)
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed. (See note #4 below)
Notes
- I’ve taken a number of steps in this recipe to remove any bitterness from the enchilada sauce. The first is removing the membranes from the inside of the peppers. Removing the membrane not only reduces the bitterness, it also reduces the heat, as does removing the seeds.
- Straining the sauce removes small pieces of the skin and left over membranes that can sauce bitterness.
- Simmering the sauce is an important step. It allows the flavors to come together and enhances the overall taste.
- If the sauce has a slight bitter taste, add additional sugar, a quarter-teaspoon at a time. If the sauce needs a bit more flavor, add additional salt, a quarter-teaspoon at a time.
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