I LOVE enchiladas but I’m not a big fan of canned enchiladas sauces so I usually opt for a jar of our favorite Trader Joe’s salsa verde instead. But every so often you (and I) want a yummy red sauce and this is the (easy!) solution.
This homemade red enchilada sauce is flavored with chipotle in adobo for a mild smokey kick. You can add hot chili powder if you want to really taste the heat. This recipe makes almost 4 cups of sauce so enough for 2-3 pans of enchiladas. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for months. The filling I used in the enchiladas above was from this recipe, and it was good but not something we’re dying to make again. This sauce on the other hand, we loved and will be using regularly! Try it to replace the salsa in this skillet enchilada recipe or here or here.
The Best Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used homemade chicken broth and added an extra pinch of salt) 3 cups canned tomato sauce 2 Tbsp. chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, chopped (can add more to taste) 1 tsp. chili powder (or Mexican hot chili powder for more heat) 1 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. kosher salt fresh black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and garlic; sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, chipotle chiles, chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 7-10 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.
We make roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato fries all the time over here and this yummy southwest fry sauce is the perfect thing to dip them in! (It’s also great for burgers- see my tip for the best turkey burger below*, tater tots, regular french fries, etc.) As is traditional with fry sauce, there’s some mayonnaise (I go half yogurt to save some calories) and ketchup, then dill pickle juice for tang (don’t knock it ’til you try it!), and garlic and onion and paprika for flavor. What makes this sauce special though is the chipotle pepper in adobo which adds delicious smoky heat.
*For the best turkey burgers, combine 1 lb. ground turkey thigh (or a mixture of thigh and breast) with 2 Tbsp. of this southwest fry sauce and a bit of salt and pepper. Form into four patties and grill until just cooked through, topping with cheese (such as Cheddar) before they’re done so it melts. Serve on toasted buns topped with more fry sauce, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Yum!
Southwest Chipotle Fry Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (whole or low-fat are OK, can use sour cream or more mayo) 3 Tbsp. ketchup 1- 2 Tbsp. minced chipotle pepper in adobo (or more to taste, 1 Tbsp. for mild heat) 1 tsp. dill pickle juice (can substitute lemon or lime juice, but pickle juice is best) 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. paprika 1/4 tsp. onion powder pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
To make the fry sauce, stir to combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
My oldest daughter loves LOVES Mediterranean food. She eats a tub of hummus about every other day. Feta, olives, Greek salad, pita, tzatziki, Gyro meat, Chicken Shawarma and rice are all her favorites. And so we are always on the hunt for the best Greek/Mediterranean restaurants. There was a Gyro place near our last house (Quick Gyro in Mill Creek, WA if you’re local) that sold the yummiest Shawarma wraps and this recipe is my attempt at recreating them. Thanks to Tori’s Kitchen now I have a delicious, authentic-tasting version I can make at home!
These chicken shawarma wraps are stuffed with spiced chicken, creamy garlic tahini sauce, and a Greek salad mix of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, and parsley. And a pickle. I couldn’t find spicy Greek pickles so I used our favorite kosher dills from Trader Joes and sprinkled on some cayenne pepper for the heat (which is optional but recommended). I served the wraps with a simple Greek salad (the same mixture used in the wraps plus some olives, pepperoncini, bell pepper, and feta tossed in this Greek Vinaigrette), roasted cauliflower, and hummus and pita on the size.
Important Notes:
Please use both chicken breast and chicken thighs for tender, authentic tasting shawarma. The extra fat in the thighs helps the meat be more flavorful and crisp up in the skillet. It just won’t be as good with all breast meat.
The tahini sauce has a pretty strong flavor, so add it sparingly at first- you can always serve extra on the side. (I love it but my kids didn’t want near as much on their wraps.) Tzatziki is another option for the sauce. I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it looks promising- I would go with full fat Greek yogurt though as that’s what most restaurants use.
And, of course, instead of in a wrap you can serve this chicken shawarma over a bed of yellow rice with the tahini (and/or tzatziki) and Greek salad alongside.
Chicken Shawarma Wraps with Garlic Tahini Sauce
INGREDIENTS
Chicken: 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (~2 large breasts) 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs (~4 large thighs) 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. allspice 3/4 tsp. turmeric 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1 pinch cayenne Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Tahini Sauce:* 1 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) 3/4 cup lukewarm water + more to thin 3 cloves garlic 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 tsp. salt (adjust to taste) 2 tsp. freshly parsley, minced (optional)
Wraps: 6-8 large flour tortillas (burrito size) romaine, shredded cucumber, seeded and diced tomato, diced red onion, diced fresh parsley, minced dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise (or spicy Greek pickles if you can find them) dash cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
*This makes much more sauce than you need for this recipe, so feel free to halve the sauce.
DIRECTIONS
To make the Chicken Shawarma:
Slice the chicken breasts into 5-6 pieces each and the thighs into 3-4 pieces each. Place them in a marinating dish or large plastic zipper bag.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, the spices, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Pour the spice marinade over the chicken pieces. Stir with a spoon till all the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the marinade.
Cover the marinating dish with plastic wrap, or close the zipper bag. Place chicken in the refrigerator and let it marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking oil. Place the chicken pieces on the sheet, evenly spaced.
Place the chicken in the oven. Let it roast for about 15 minutes until cooked through, turning the chicken pieces once with tongs halfway through cooking.
Take chicken out of the oven and let it cool slightly. Use a sharp knife to slice the meat into small, thin shawarma-like pieces.
Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium. Pour half of the chicken into the skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes till the smallest pieces of chicken turn brown and crisp. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired (I found it did need some extra salt and pepper).
Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet. Heat another 1 Tbsp. of oil and saute the remaining chicken in the same way. Serve warm.
To make the Tahini Garlic Sauce:
Grind tahini paste, lukewarm water, garlic, lemon juice and salt together in a food processor or blender until sauce is creamy and ivory-colored. A food processor is the easiest way to make this sauce; scrape the sides of the processor periodically during processing. If using a blender, you may need to use a long-handled spoon to break up the thick part of the sauce once every 30 seconds; this will keep it from clogging your blender blades. After a few minutes of blending, sauce will turn into a rich, smooth paste. If mixture is too thick, slowly add more water until it reaches the preferred consistency. You may need quite a bit of water depending on the thickness of your tahini paste. For these wraps, a thinner sauce is preferred. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the wraps:
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Spread a thin layer of garlic tahini sauce in the center of the tortillas. Cover tahini sauce with a generous amount of chicken shawarma and top with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and red onion. Sprinkle with a bit of parsley and top with several slices of pickle. Add a dash of cayenne pepper if you want some heat. Drizzle with a bit more tahini sauce and fold the ends in first, then the sides over top of the middle to close the wraps.
For a crispier wrap, lightly coat the skillet/griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Place the wraps on the preheated pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the top and bottom are golden brown and the wraps are warmed throughout. Slice in half and serve (with extra garlic tahini sauce on the side, if desired).
One of my very favorite restaurants in all of the Seattle area is DERU Market in Kirkland. It’s a catering business/bakery/restaurant all in one and makes the most amazing bread, cakes, sandwiches, pizzas, breakfasts, everything. Since we moved to a new town last summer we now live 45 minutes away and I still make the drive regularly because it’s WORTH IT. And they’ve been open throughout COVID and converted to a drive-through operation and it’s amazing.
Their focaccia is to die for. I could eat an entire loaf and call if a meal. They make all of their sandwiches on that perfect focaccia and this roasted chicken and goat cheese version is one of my favorites. And since I can’t have it as often and I want, I decided it was time to recreate it at home. I bought focaccia from a local baker at our farmers market. Homemade focaccia is high on my list of recipes to conquer at home, but for now, I still buy it. (If you’re local to Seattle, Essential Baking Company has an excellent focaccia you can buy at various grocery stores -including Whole Foods- in the area.)
Alongside the focaccia, the other essential parts of this sandwich are creamy goat cheese spread (don’t bother with crumbles- they’re pretty dry and it won’t be the same), shredded rotisserie chicken (by all means you can roast your own chicken but store bought ones are delicious and so easy!), fresh peppery arugula, herb aioli (DERU makes theirs from scratch- I used prepared mayo as a shortcut and added lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs), and red onion jam. Recreating the red onion jam was the hardest part but I think it turned out just right. Most recipes I referenced called for a lot of red wine, which I’ve never bought/used so I opted for a bit of red wine vinegar. The slow-caramelized red onions are also simmered in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. The jam is thick and tangy and sweet.
Last, I would like to note that this sandwich tastes better than it looks. Not that I’ve ever been a great photographer but it’s getting really hard to take a decent picture of anything now that it’s dark before dinnertime! So just trust me on this one. And if you’re in the area and have a chance to try DERU market, please invite me along!
Roasted Chicken Focaccia Sandwich with Goat Cheese, Red Onion Jam, and Herb Aioli
INGREDIENTS
rotisserie chicken (light and dark meat), shredded handful baby arugula focaccia, sliced horizontally creamy goat cheese spread (I used La Bonne Vie spreadable goat cheese, Trader Joes also has a goat cheese spread) extra fresh herbs (parsley, dill, and chives), chopped for garnish
Herb Aioli: 6 Tbsp. mayonnaise 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. lemon zest 1 clove garlic, minced 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh chives 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh dill pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Red Onion Jam: 1 Tbsp. butter (or olive oil) 2 large red onions, thinly sliced 1/4 tsp. kosher salt pinch freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
DIRECTIONS
To make the red onion jam, heat the butter (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced red onions, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes until soft and caramelized (turning down the heat as necessary to prevent browning). Stir in the vinegars and brown sugar and cook over low heat another 10 minutes to reduce and thicken. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Onion jam can be refrigerated until ready to use.
To make the herb aioli, in a small bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the bottom slice of focaccia on a baking sheet and spread with goat cheese. Top the goat cheese with a thick layer of onion jam. Top the jam with shredded rotisserie chicken, seasoning it with a bit of salt and pepper and sprinkling with some extra fresh herbs. Spread a generous amount of aioli over the bottom of the top slice of focaccia and place on top of the sandwich. Cover the sandwich loosely with aluminum foil and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes until the sandwich is warmed through, uncovering for the last few minutes to crisp the top. Add a handful of fresh arugula to the sandwich, slice, and serve.
Makes enough aioli and jam for ~4 large sandwiches.
Here’s the fresh and cool cucumber raita I made to serve with that amazing and easy Indian butter chicken. Raita is creamy combination of yogurt, cucumber, and fresh herbs like cilantro and chives. I also added a bit lemon, jalapeno (for some heat if you want it) and some earthy coriander and cumin.
Traditional Indian Raita
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plain full-fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt and thinned it with a bit of milk) 1 cup finely diced seeded cucumber (I removed about half of the peel) 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (or a combination of cilantro and mint) 2 tsp. lemon juice 4 tsp. finely chopped green onion or chives (I used chives) 1 tsp. minced jalapeno pepper (optional, or more to taste) 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 1/4 tsp. salt (adjust to taste) pinch freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Chill raita, covered, until ready to serve.
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