Burnt Scallion Chicken Enchiladas
I'm always looking for ways to combine things I love—in this case, joining my love for enchiladas with my love for Sean Brock's grilled chicken wings with a burnt scallion BBQ sauce. The wings are a summertime staple at my house, and, if you make them, they will be at yours too. The smoky charred chicken skin topped with that BBQ sauce on steroids will shiver your timbers. Seriously, once you make this sauce, you'll want it all the time. Brock's recipe calls for his homemade Husk BBQ sauce, but save time and just use whichever BBQ sauce you have on hand (I know you have one that's been sitting in your fridge for months—use that). Funny story: a few weeks back I was making a batch of these and forgot about the scallions in the oven. I turned around and saw that, somehow, one of them had lit on fire. That was a first.
But chicken wings take time and effort, and most days of the week, you're just not going to spend the time making them. Plus, you have to worry about not giving your friends and family food poisoning due to undercooked chicken. My solution to this is to simply buy your favorite rotisserie or smoked chicken from the grocery and shred the meat off that. The smoked meat is mixed with sweet caramelized onions, always incredible roasted garlic, and then the BBQ sauce and stringy Mexican cheese.
For the tortillas, I highly, highly recommend using the TortillaLand flour tortillas. They're uncooked, so you'll find them in refrigerated area near the cheeses, and just require a quick trip to a hot pan. The flavor of both the corn and flour tortillas are top notch—better than what some of the restaurants in town are using. To say I have become obsessed with them is an understatement. For St. Louis readers, they're available at Schnucks.
These have become a freezer-staple for me—I just pop it out, microwave it, then throw it in the toaster oven for a couple minutes to crisp up the edges again. Enjoy!
tortillaland tortillas
tortillaland tortilla description
Chicken Enchiladas
burnt scallion BBQ sauce
Chicken Enchiladas with Burnt Scallion BBQ Sauce
YIELD: 8 | ACTIVE: 20 MIN | INACTIVE: 35 | TOTAL: 55 MIN
INGREDIENTS
BURNT SCALLION SAUCE
ADAPTED FROM HERITAGE BY SEAN BROCK
10 scallions, trimmed
1 T peanut oil
Kosher salt
1 bottle BBQ sauce (your choice)
1 T soy sauce
1 c cilantro leaves
FILLING
1 rotisserie chicken
Queso fresco/Chihuahua cheese
1 large onion, sliced
1 head of garlic
8 large tortillas
METHOD
BURNT SCALLION BBQ SAUCE
Turn on your broiler. Line a pan with foil, then using a brush or paper towel, coat the scallions in peanut oil. Broil until well-charred (your kitchen may get a little smoky, but it shouldn’t be too bad). Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender, then set aside.
FILLING
Peel the garlic cloves, then make a foil pouch. Coat cloves with olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes. Once cool, mash together.
Pick the rotisserie chicken apart like a Viking warrior.
Caramelize the sliced onion. I use Kenji’s 15-minute recipe.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix the onions, chicken, and garlic in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of the BBQ sauce on the tortilla, then a spoonful of the chicken and onion mix, then as much cheese as you desire. Roll up the enchilada and place into a 9×13 baking pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Top the enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and top with cilantro.
