This week we're celebrating the 200th episode of Binging with Babish with...a pretty normal episode, since I didn't realize it was the 200th until someone pointed it out to me on Reddit! So we'll just pretend that I wanted to be lowkey about it. I had been looking forward to this one for a while, mostly because well, I love enchiladas. The Rose "family recipe" involving the folding of cheese could only mean one thing: a queso drizzled over top the spicy little parcels before getting all browned and bubbly in the oven. Sign me up.

Ingredients

Salsa Roja Ingredients:

• Cherry red guajillo chilis

• Dried ancho chilis

• Pasilla chilis (optional)

• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

• 2 plum tomatoes, halved

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled

• Water

• Mexican oregano (optional)

• 3 large chicken breasts

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

Filling and Assembly Ingredients:

• 3 large cooked chicken breasts from salsa roja, shredded 

• 3 poblano peppers, halved and fire roasted

• 3 Tbsp butter ( for the queso)

• 3 Tbsp flour (for the queso)

• 2 cups whole milk (for the queso)

• 8 oz queso de papa cheddar, shredded (for the queso)

• Additional queso de papa, for topping

• Corn tortillas

• Vegetable oil (for frying tortillas)

• Oaxaca Cheese

Method

Salsa Roja Method:

1. Start by removing the stems and seeds from the chilis and cut into 1” segments. 

2. Peel and cut 2 medium onions into chunks. Cut 2 plum tomatoes in half. Peel the 3 cloves of garlic. 

3. Over the stovetop, dry roast the peppers in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Set aside once roasted.

4. Into the same pan goes the onions, garlic, and tomatoes to char a little bit. Once the onions and tomatoes have picked up a little color, add back in the chiles along with enough water to cover everything in the pot. 

5. Bring to a bare simmer ,then add in a generous pinch of Mexican oregano. 

6. Take 3 large chicken breasts and butterfly cut each piece before killing the heat and adding the chicken to the pot of vegetables, making sure to fully submerge the chicken. 

7. Once nestled, cover and let sit for 15 minutes before removing the chicken when it has reached an internal temperature of 164°F. 

8. In a blender, add in the vegetables and chiles before covering just enough with the cooking liquid. Blend until a canned tomato sauce consistency is reached. Season with a few pinches of kosher salt and twists of freshly ground pepper to taste. 

9. Blend one last time to combine. 

Enchilada Filling and Assembly:

1. Start by shredding the 3 large chicken breasts from the red sauce. Remove the stems and seeds of 3 poblano peppers and cut in half. 

2. Place each half of the poblano pepper over the stovetop and roast until the exteriors are fully blackened. After the pepper is fully roasted, pile them together onto aluminum foil and wrap the peppers up into a package. 

3. Using gloved hands, scrape off all of the blackened exteriors and slice into small pieces. 

4. For the queso, in a pot add 3 tablespoons each of flour and butter. Cook and whisk together for 1-2 minutes over low heat. Slowly stream in 2 cups of whole milk while constantly whisking until a thick white sauce has formed. 

5. Kill the heat, add in 8 ounces of shredded queso de papa and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the cheese (stirring gently from the bottom upward over the cheese) until smooth. 

6. For the corn tortillas, in a saucepan filled with a little vegetable oil over medium heat fry, each tortilla for just a few seconds on each side. Once fried, drain on paper towels. Rinse and repeat with a dozen more tortillas.   

Assembly:

1. Start by preparing a dipping and rolling station along with an optional Oaxaca cheese. 

2. Pour some Salsa Roja into a shallow dish then dip and thoroughly coat a tortilla on both sides with Salsa Roja. 

3. Layer with shredded chicken, Oaxaca cheese, and poblano peppers in the center of the tortilla before rolling the tortilla around tightly. 

4. Place the seam side down in a waiting pre-oiled casserole dish. Rinse and repeat until the casserole dish is full. 

5. Generously drizzle the tortillas with more salsa Roja and topping with more shredded queso de papa then finishing off with a generous drizzle of the cheese sauce. 

6. Place into a preheated 400°F oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown and bubbly. 

7. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.