Sizzling Birria Enchiladas Recipe: A Fiesta For Your Taste Buds

Melting cheese and tender meat create a mouthwatering symphony in these spicy birria enchiladas that dance with authentic Mexican flavors.

Slow-cooked beef braised in a rich blend of chilies promises an explosion of taste in every bite.

The traditional recipe brings deep, complex layers of spice and comfort to your dinner table.

Bold and vibrant, these enchiladas offer a culinary journey through regional Mexican cuisine.

Each roll bursts with succulent meat and bold seasonings that warm the soul.

Drizzled with a smoky red sauce and garnished with fresh cilantro, this dish transforms an ordinary meal into an extraordinary experience.

Prepare to savor every incredible mouthful of this irresistible Mexican classic.

Best Ways To Plate Birria Enchiladas Recipe

• Flavor Fiesta Plate: Layer enchiladas with extra birria sauce drizzled generously, creating a stunning red-hued presentation that looks restaurant-worthy and allows guests to enjoy additional rich sauce.
• Taco Bar Transformation: Set up a DIY enchilada station where guests can customize their plates with fresh cilantro, crumbled Cotija, lime wedges, and pickled onions, making the meal interactive and fun.
• Sidekick Sensations: Pair enchiladas with Mexican rice, refried beans, or a crisp cabbage slaw to balance the hearty meat and provide complementary textures and flavors that enhance the main dish.
• Cool & Creamy Companion: Serve with authentic Mexican crema or a zesty avocado cream sauce on the side, allowing diners to add a tangy, smooth element that cuts through the rich birria flavors.

How To Store Birria Enchiladas Recipe And Plan Ahead

• Quick Refrigeration Technique: Store leftover birria enchiladas in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking. Properly sealed containers keep the enchiladas fresh for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
• Freezing Magic: Wrap individual enchiladas tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then place in freezer-safe containers. Frozen enchiladas maintain excellent quality for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
• Smart Reheating Method: Revive refrigerated enchiladas by placing them in a preheated oven at 350F. Cover with foil to prevent drying out. Warm for 15-20 minutes until heated thoroughly. For crispy edges, remove foil during the last 5 minutes of heating.
• Sauce Separation Strategy: Keep extra birria sauce in a separate sealed container in the refrigerator. This allows easy reheating and prevents soggy enchiladas. Sauce stays fresh for 5-7 days when stored correctly in an airtight container.

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

Calories: 450 kcal

Servings: 9

Things You’ll Need For Birria Enchiladas Recipe

• Beef Chuck Roast: Robust cut perfect for slow-braising, developing rich deep flavors and tender texture.
• Beef Broth: Amplifies meaty depth and ensures succulent, moist meat during cooking process.

• Guajillo Chiles: Provides mild, fruity heat with complex earthy undertones.
• Ancho Chiles: Delivers sweet, smoky warmth with subtle raisin-like notes.
• Chiles de Arbol: Introduces sharp, intense spiciness and vibrant red color.
• Tomatoes: Creates foundational sauce base with bright acidity.
• Onion: Adds sweet aromatic base and underlying savory complexity.
• Garlic: Intensifies overall flavor profile with pungent, robust character.

• Black Peppercorns: Introduces gentle heat and sharp spiciness.
• Cinnamon Stick: Contributes warm, sweet undertone with subtle woody essence.
• Bay Leaves: Provides delicate herbal background note.
• Cumin: Delivers earthy, nutty dimension to sauce.
• Oregano: Brings Mediterranean herbal freshness.
• Cloves: Offers intense, warm spicy-sweet undertone.
• Coriander: Adds light, citrusy brightness.
• Olive Oil: Facilitates even browning and initial flavor development.
• White Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar: Balances richness with tangy brightness.
• Salt, Black Pepper: Essential seasoning for depth and enhancement.

Kitchen Gear For Birria Enchiladas Recipe

• Large pot or Dutch oven: Essential for braising and cooking the beef with spices.
• Blender: Crucial for creating the smooth, flavorful birria sauce with chiles and spices.
• Baking dish: Needed to arrange and bake the enchiladas with sauce and cheese.
• Slotted spoon: Helps transfer softened chiles from cooking liquid to blender.
• Strainer: Used to remove solids from the cooking liquid.
• Skillet: Perfect for lightly frying tortillas to make them pliable.
• Cheese grater: Helpful for shredding cheese for topping the enchiladas.
• Cutting board and knife: Required for chopping cilantro and preparing garnishes.

Simple How-To For Birria Enchiladas Recipe

• Kick Off the Flavor Fiesta

Brown seasoned beef chunks in a hot pot, creating a delicious base. Remove meat and set aside. Toss in dried chiles, tomatoes, onions, and spices. Boil and simmer to unlock deep, rich flavors.

• Create Magical Sauce

Transfer softened ingredients to a blender. Add beef broth, vinegars, and aromatic spices. Blend until silky smooth. Return beef to the pot, cover with sauce, and let it slowly simmer for hours until meat becomes meltingly tender.

• Transform into Enchilada Heaven

Preheat oven to warm and inviting temperature. Shred the succulent beef. Quickly fry tortillas to make them flexible. Dunk each tortilla in birria sauce for extra flavor punch. Stuff with shredded beef, roll tightly, and nestle in baking dish.

• Bake and Garnish with Love

Pour remaining sauce over rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle generously with cheese. Bake until cheese turns golden and bubbly. Top with fresh cilantro, crumbled cheese, zesty lime wedges, and your favorite onion garnish.

Tips To Make Birria Enchiladas Recipe Even Better

• Perfect Birria Enchiladas Cooking Tips & Variations
• Meat Tenderness Hack: Cook birria meat slowly on low heat to ensure ultra-tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture; using a pressure cooker can reduce cooking time by half while maintaining rich flavor.
• Spice Level Control: Adjust chile pepper quantities to customize heat – remove seeds for milder version or add extra chile de arbol for serious spice lovers who enjoy bold, fiery flavors.
• Vegetarian Transformation: Replace beef with jackfruit, mushrooms, or lentils for a plant-based alternative that absorbs the delicious birria sauce's complex spices and maintains similar texture.
• Gluten-Free Adaptation: Use corn tortillas and ensure all sauce ingredients are certified gluten-free; replace wheat-based vinegars with apple cider or white wine vinegar for safe consumption.
• Make-Ahead Magic: Prepare birria meat and sauce up to 3 days in advance, storing separately in refrigerator; this intensifies flavors and reduces day-of cooking stress while maintaining incredible taste profile.

Spicy Birria Enchiladas Recipe

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4.8 from 33 reviews

• Total Time: 4 hours
• Yield: 9 1x

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Description

Succulent birria enchiladas showcase Mexican culinary artistry with tender braised meat rolled in corn tortillas. Melted cheese and rich consomé elevate this comforting dish that promises to satisfy your deepest cravings.

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Ingredients

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• 3 lbs (1.36 kg) beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
• 7 cloves garlic
• 12 dried guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
• 5 dried ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
• 5 dried chiles de arbol, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
• 16 tortillas (flour or corn)
• 3 cups (340 g) Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, shredded
• 2 cups (336 g) cooked white or Mexican rice
• 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 2-inch Mexican cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• ½ tbsps (7.5 ml) olive oil
• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• 3 tbsps (45 ml) distilled white vinegar
• 3 tbsps (45 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, Cotija cheese, lime wedges, pickled or raw onion

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Instructions

1. Flavor Foundation: Generously season beef chunks with salt and pepper. In a substantial pot, sear meat in olive oil until golden. Remove beef, then introduce guajillo, ancho, and chiles de arbol into the same pot. Add tomatoes, onion, cinnamon, and bay leaves, creating a robust liquid base. Submerge ingredients with water, bringing to a boil and then reducing to a gentle simmer.
2. Sauce Transformation: Transfer softened chiles to a blender. Blend with cooking liquid, beef broth, vinegars, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, and coriander until achieving a smooth, vibrant sauce. Return beef to the pot, coating thoroughly with the luscious mixture.
3. Tender Infusion: Simmer beef for approximately three hours, allowing the meat to become incredibly tender and easily shredded. This slow cooking process develops complex, rich flavors characteristic of authentic birria.
4. Enchilada Preparation: Warm tortillas in a light oil bath, making them pliable. Dip each tortilla into reserved birria sauce, ensuring complete coverage. Layer shredded beef and rice, rolling tightly and placing seam-side down in a baking dish.
5. Culinary Finale: Pour remaining birria sauce over the enchiladas. Generously top with cheese and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes until cheese melts and edges crisp. Garnish with fresh cilantro, Cotija cheese, lime wedges, and pickled onions to elevate the dish’s visual and flavor profile.

Notes

• Choose Meat Wisely: Select chuck roast or beef brisket for maximum tenderness and rich flavor absorption during the slow-cooking process.
• Control Chili Heat: Adjust the quantity of chiles de arbol to manage spice levels, ensuring the dish suits different heat tolerances without compromising authentic taste.
• Sauce Consistency Matters: Blend sauce until ultra-smooth, straining if needed to eliminate any potential chile skin fragments for a silky, refined texture.
• Optimize Cheese Melting: Use a combination of Oaxaca and Cotija cheese for layered flavor complexity and perfect melting characteristics during the final baking stage.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner, Snacks
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 9
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 2 g
• Sodium: 600 mg
• Fat: 18 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 45 g
• Fiber: 3 g
• Protein: 25 g
• Cholesterol: 80 mg