tasty enchiladas

All About the Enchilada

All About the EnchiladaSome of our regular customers at El Chubby’s Fresh Mexican Grill in Aurora are all about the enchilada. Do you like cheese, beef, beef and bean, chicken, or steak? We have them all, along with all of your Mexican food favorites. Give your taste buds a treat with one of each enchilada and don’t forget a side of carne asada fries!

So, let’s talk all about the enchilada, which originated in Mexico as a traditional dish that has meat and other ingredients stuffed inside a corn tortilla. They are then rolled up, covered with a spicy chili pepper sauce and then baked. Actually, enchilada means: to add chile pepper.

Many believe the idea of filling and wrapping a tortilla came from the ancient Aztecs, but it was first called an enchilada in the mid to late 19th century. History aside, there’s an endless variety of enchiladas and methods of making them.

You can start with a tortilla that’s fried and then dipped in chile sauce, filled, rolled and baked. Some prefer to dip it first and then fry the tortilla. Both ways make it come out delicious.

Let’s talk meat. You can use beef, chicken, pork, or fish, and it can be shredded, ground, or cut into bite-sized chunks. Then the meat can be fried, grilled, sautéed, or baked. Don’t forget the other ingredients in an enchilada like vegetables, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, or cheeses.

In Mexico, people in the cities buy them on the streets, wrapped in foil, sort of like American’s version of a hot dog vendor. In the beginning, they were just corn tortillas dipped in chili sauce and eaten without all the wonderful fillings. But now they are even better.

Enchiladas are also served at wonderful restaurants with a choice of red or green sauce served over them. You might even find them covered with white cheese sauce or mole sauce. This dish is usually topped with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, olives, chopped onions, chili peppers, salsa or fresh cilantro.

Now that you know all about the enchilada, can you see why it’s the perfect dish? With all types of fillings and toppings, you can have it exactly like you want it. Here are even more options:

Enchiladas con chile rojo are made with the traditional red chile enchilada sauce, which has dried red chili peppers soaked and ground into a sauce with other seasonings. Sometimes chile Colorado sauce adds tomato to it.

Enchiladas San Miguel are usually flavored with guajillo chilies and the tortillas are seared in a frying pan.

Enchiladas con mole substitutes the chili sauce for mole sauce and are called enmoladas. 

Enchiladas placera are made with chicken and vegetables and are Michoacán plaza-style.

Entomatadas use tomato sauce instead of the chile sauce.

Enfrijoladas have refried beans on top instead of the usual chili sauce.

Enchiladas potosinas are fixed with cheese-filled, chili-spiced masa.

Enchiladas suizas have a white milk or cream-based sauce on top. This comes from the Swiss immigrants to Mexico who established dairies to produce cream and cheese.

Enchiladas poblanas use soft corn tortillas stuffed with chicken and poblano peppers and are often topped with oaxaca cheese.

Have you heard of Enchiladas montadas, an American variety from New Mexico? These are enchiladas with fried flat corn tortillas that are stacked with red or green sauce, chopped onion, and shredded cheese between each layer and on the top. Sometimes ground beef or chicken is added to the inside, and a fried egg can be added on top. Don’t forget lettuce and black olives!

Now you know why people are all about the enchilada. We’re happy to serve you cheese, beef, beef and bean, chicken or steak enchiladas at El Chubby’s Fresh Mexican Grill in Aurora. We make the best Mexican food near you, so stop by for lunch or dinner and see what’s cooking.