Enfrijoladas are like the quintessential Mexican weeknight comfort food. Developed in Oaxaca, this black bean based version of enchiladas can be found in kitchens all over Latin America.
Now although enfrijoladas are super simple to whip up and very inexpensive to make, there is just something really special about them. They are flavorful, comforting and satisfying and can easily be made vegetarian, vegan and gluten free, so everyone can enjoy this fabulous meal.
Let’s get started…
Today, I am making this chicken filled enfrijoladas, but you can fill them with ground beef, shredded pork, chorizo… anything you have on hand and left overs are a wonderful option here. Start by generously seasoning 1 boneless skinless chicken breast with your favorite seasoned salt, cook it through and set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
If you would prefer your enfrijoladas to be vegan or vegetarian, simply leave the meat out and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth in the black bean sauce. Easy peasy.
The start of this show is the luscious black bean sauce and this one is really easy to whip up. Begin by dicing 1 large yellow onion and sauté it over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it begins to soften a bit. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic in with the onions and cook, stirring consistently, for about 60 seconds.
Note: When making vegetarian, vegan or gluten free enfrijoladas, choose tortillas, beans and queso fresco that fits into your dietary restrictions. Be sure that your black beans do not contain any additives from animal products or containing gluten and choose a diary free queso fresco.
Carefully transfer the onions and garlic into a blender along with 30 ounces of rinsed black beans, 2 chilies in adobo sauce (or more if you want your sauce to be more spicy), 1 1/3 cups of chicken stock and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Blend until the sauce is fairly smooth and then transfer the sauce back into the same skillet you used to cook the chicken, onions and garlic. Set the heat at medium and bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer.
While that lovely black bean sauce comes to a simmer, thinly slice your chicken, crumble 8 ounces of queso fresco and finely chop a small bunch of cilantro.
To assemble your enfrijoladas, use a pair of tongs to drag a corn or flour tortilla through the black bean sauce to coat both sides. Set the tortilla on a plate and add some chicken, queso fresco and cilantro onto one half of the tortilla and then fold the other half over top as you would a taco.
Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients and ladle any remaining black bean sauce over the enfrijoladas and garnish with crumbled queso fresco and a little more cilantro…
A squeeze of fresh lime juice adds a bright, tangy layer to these rich, luscious black bean coated tortillas filled with juicy chicken, warm queso fresco and fresh cilantro. These enfrijoladas are wonderfully comforting and filling… the perfect way to end the day…
In addition to the wonderful flavors in this hearty meal, the reasonable cost of bringing this meal together is something that I also love about it.
I went shopping specifically for this meal yesterday at my local grocery store. The store brand boneless skinless chicken was $1.99 per pound and I used a 10 ounces chicken breast for this recipe, which cost $1.25. I bought a bag with 8 yellow onions for $1.99 and used one of them for this recipe costing $0.25. Two cans of black beans were $1.78 ($0.89 per can). The queso fresco was $2.55 and the tortillas were $0.89. I had chilies in adobo, but they were $1.39 per jar and this recipe only uses a few of them, so let’s say $0.40 worth, plus $0.99 for a bunch of cilantro.
In total, for a little over $8 (or less if you omit the chicken or use leftovers!) you can make a hearty, comforting dinner for four… that along with the amazing, comforting flavors is tough to beat!
Chicken Enfrijoladas
Ingredients
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 30 ounces of black beans, rinsed
- 2 chilies in adobo sauce
- 8 ounces of queso fresco, crumbled
- 8 small tortillas (corn or flour)
- 1 1/3 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
- salt and black pepper
- a small bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- lime wedges (garnish)
Instructions
- Generously season 1 boneless skinless chicken breast and cook over medium heat until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees
- Set the chicken aside to cool while you make the sauce
- In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 large diced yellow onion
- Cook the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften
- Add 3 finely minced cloves of garlic and cook, stirring consistently, for about 60 seconds
- Transfer the onions and garlic into a blender along with 30 ounces of rinsed black beans, 2 chilies in adobo sauce (or more if you want your sauce to be more spicy), 1 1/3 cups of chicken stock and a pinch of salt and black pepper
- Blend until fairly smooth
- Transfer the sauce back into the skillet over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer
- While the sauce is simmering, thinly slice the chicken breast, crumble the queso fresco and finely chop the cilantro
- Use tongs to drag a tortilla through the black bean sauce and transfer it onto a plate
- Add some of the chicken, queso fresco and cilantro onto one half of the tortilla and then fold the other half over as you would a taco
- Repeat with remaining ingredients and top enfrijoladas with any remaining black bean sauce
- Garnish with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro
- Serve with lime wedges
