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Enchilada Sauce Recipe

We get a number of requests for our Enchilada Sauce Recipe. It's true, we do make the best Enchilada Sauce in the state of New Mexico and certainly, one of the best in the world. In fact, you can learn more about cooking with chiles with other Quick Easy Recipes. There you will learn how to make Tequila Fetuccinne, an all time favorite.

But back to enchiladas-

I understand that sometimes you just want to roll up your sleeves and get into the kitchen to create your own Enchilada Sauce Recipe. Why not learn from the best? I'm going to share with you the secrets in order to make your own enchilada sauce a success.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

First, a little enchilada sauce recipe history. This may resemble your palate evolution too.

I used to be in love with green chile and as my palate matured, I had to have red chile as part of my life. It happened one day and I have no idea the reason. I needed that homemade enchilada sauce experience.

My taste buds, my senses, just demanded this from me. And, following a long line of excellent cooks, I was more than timid attempting to create my own Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe.

I tried and tried. Remembering flavors from my youth, I wanted to recapture subtle, yet intense earthy flavors. But my enchilada sauce started off a huge flop. In fact, it sucked.

It took me twelve months to finally get Coyote Trail Enchilada Sauce recipe just right. Mouth feel. Flavor. Heat. Viscosity. Acid. Then we had to cook with it and make sure the sauce would stand up to the flavors of food. I dreamed of red chile at night and met each day with frustration.

Mine flopped several times and hopefully, yours won't. Keep after it and don't give up.

I finally found the perfect combination of flavors. The sauce is now perfect. In fact, it's so unbelievably good... I'm proud to say that Coyote Trail Enchilada Sauce has won nearly every award possible including the Best in the State of New Mexico.

This review about our Enchilada Sauce Recipe seems simple, but you have to use the proper ingredients and I'll tell you which ones they are. In fact, there are several ingredients available to you, but one of the secret ingredients is your stock.

Coyote Trail Enchilada Sauce Recipes are all natural. We don't use animal products in any of our sauces and we have a special blend of natural spices that go into our products, but at home you can opt for either chicken, beef or vegetable bouillon. When you add water, flavor the water.

Red Chile Pods

Pods are dried red chiles that need to be converted into sauce.
You have three choices to make when deciding on Enchilada Sauce Recipes

Buy New Mexico Red Chile Powder
Make your own powder from Chile Pods
Use whole Chile Pods to make your sauce

If you want to purchase the red-chile-powder you can do so on our order page.

This powder is pure, Hatch Valley powder that is destemmed and deseeded.

Like Cheech and Chong used to say "no stems and no seeds."

For an authentic enchilada sauce recipe, get the real stuff.

If you decide to buy powder locally, make sure it is New Mexico powder.

Why? Well, if you've ever tasted Coyote Trail Enchilada Sauce, you'll understand.

Save yourself a lot of time and effort because we've already done the research. On our Order Page, we sell the same powder used in our Enchilada Sauce Recipe.

Grind Them Up

We don't sell the Chile Pods, but you can grind your own powder from these dried Pods. Again, to make the best enchilada sauce recipe make sure you use New Mexico Red Chile Pods. There are a bunch of varietals and you'll have to taste them to decide on flavors. I like Sandia Chiles.

Clean them first. Remove seeds and stems. Put them into a Bar Blender and grind like crazy. Your goal should be to grind about 6 oz of fine powder. You need a high speed blender because your powder will eventually become a sauce.

Most home blenders and food processors will NOT work because the motor is not rated fast enough to absolutely pulverize chile into powder.

Wear a mask. Open the doors. Better yet, do this outside!

Red Chile Powder

Getting a silky powder is where you want to start when making an Enchilada Sauce Recipe. The powder is key. You will find recipes where hot water is added to a pan of pods. That's another method that we'll cover next.

If you start with powder, you're in good shape and the rest is going to be easy.

There are several variations and depending on who you speak to, many of these recipes are very good. One insider secret is that in order to make the red sauce taste just right you need to cook it a long time.

In the food business this is called "mouth feel." The texture of red chile is grainy and if you don't cook all of the graininess out of it, the taste or "mouth feel" will be heavy and gritty.

With any of the the enchilada sauce recipes, cook on low because red chile has oil in it and it will burn. Watch it. Nurse it. Take care of it. This is not something you walk away from until at the end of the process, when finally, it begins to simmer on low, indirect heat.

Cheese Enchilada Recipes

Beef, chicken or for that matter, seafood enchiladas were never a part of the history of enchiladas. It was always trays of piping hot cheese enchiladas served rolled and family style that I remember.

Cheddar cheese, melting, bubbling hot. And fiery red chile soaked into a handmade corn tortilla.

These Cheese Enchilada Recipes along with refried beans were the staple of the early rancheros. Don't forget to set a couple aside for morning where they should be enjoyed with an egg on top.

Alicia's Red Chile

This is the way my grandmother used to make enchilada sauce. It took her all day, but the flavors filling the house brought kids and adults from several blocks away.

Ingredients
3 oz ground New Mexico Red Chile Powder
2 tblsp bacon drippings
2 tsp all purpose flour
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. paprika
2 cups water
1 pkg beefy onion soup mix

In Dutch Oven
Add bacon drippings, flour, garlic
Brown quickly
Add chile powder, paprika
On low heat, stir for 2 minutes
Add soup mix and water
Stir until mixed well, then cover and cook on low 2-3 hours
Carefully puree in blender until smooth

Chile burns-Watch it

You may want to use a trifle under the pan to keep the direct heat off the chile.

Rancho Red Enchilada Sauce

The Machado family was one of the first settlers in America and they started many of the Rancheros. These women used a mortar and pestle to grind chile pods. Here is a recipe from an early cookbook.

Ingredients
3 oz ground New Mexico Red Chile Powder
4 tbls lard
6 tsp all purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 small tomatoes, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup pork drippings (stock)
6 cups water
1 br onion, chopped

In an iron pot
Add lard, flour, garlic, onion
Brown quickly
Add chile powder
On low heat, stir for 2 minutes
Add tomatoes and water
Salt & pepper to taste
Stir until it mixes,, cover and cook on low 4 hours
Cool & cook again the next day
Strain and serve over rolled enchiladas

Old World Enchilada Sauce

If you want to start with pods and Do NOT want to grind the pods to powder, you can still make a good enchilada sauce recipe. It isn't as chile intense, but the good news is that it's quicker. No blender work. No chile powder in the house. If you want to try this way, here is a good recipe.

Ingredients
12 New Mexico Red Chile Pods
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tblsp flour
2 cups boiling water
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Pour boiling water over chile pods
Let soak for 1 hour, mashing chiles
Pour through strainer into heavy pot
Discard remaining pods
Add all ingredients, cook 2 hours on low
Adjust salt
Warm and serve over rolled enchiladas

Crazy For Enchiladas

Chile Rellenos Recipes

Go ahead and mix it up with some authentic chile rellenos . This mouth watering meal will add alot to those delicious enchiladas.

Make some authentic chile rellenos and I'm not kidding when I tell you to smother the chile rellenos with Coyote Trail Green Chile Sauce and watch your family get really excited about your homemade meals.

You got to fire roast the chiles, but we'll show you how!

Green Enchilada Sauce

Ah, the flavor of green chile hanging in the kitchen is a smell I will take to my grave. This is an authentic enchilada sauce recipe from New Mexico and it totally rocks.If you are fortunate enough to have fresh Green Chile and are able to roast it, all the better. If not, use the Green Chile powder, which like the red chile powder, is marvelous.

Ingredients
3 tbl sp canola
3 tblsp flour
2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 oz ground New Mexico Green Chile Powder
2 cups chicken broth
Salt & pepper to taste
Pinch cumin
Pinch oregano

In a heavy pot
add canola and onions-cook until soft
Add garlic, flour-brown well
Add chile powder, broth, cumin, oregano-adjust salt, pepper
Reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes until thick
Refrigerate after cool
Best after 1 day

NOTE: This will turn to gravy if it boils-Not Good

Freeze Enchilada Sauce

This is the type of sauce you make from Chile Pods.
Pick out 3 dozen dried red chile pods. Look for chiles even in color and size and make sure they are not bagged. Mold can be a problem with bagged Chile Pods.

Rinse and dry, then remove seeds and stems. Submerge Chile Pods in a pot of boiling water. Cook 30 minutes or until chiles are tender. Remove, discard water and transfer chiles to a blender with 2 cups cold water.

Pulse at high speed until a pulp develops. Pour in bowl, pick through mixture and remove skins.

Transfer to freezer bags and cool in ice bath. After chilled, place in freezer.

Recipe For Enchiladas

You made the sauce, but how about some enchilada recipes?

We're going to get serious and show you cheese enchilada recipes, along with an unbelievable chicken enchilada recipe, but let's start with something easy.

It's the middle of the week and you're craving one of those great recipes to cook with your kids. Something easy, but great. One of those underground meals, beef enchilada recipes

You're busy and don't have time for a full blown production.

This enchilada recipe breaks all the rules and satisfies even the most discriminating enchilada purist. Several of our customers are raving about it and some have renamed it to School Night Enchiladas.

Read their comments Here Raves About Coyote Trail Sauces

Beef Enchilada Recipes

I learned alot hanging out in New Mexico. One thing I learned was how to eat an egg on top of my beef enchilada. Oh, you can get a chicken enchilada or even a cheese enchilada, but if you want to roll like the locals, order an egg on top. It's the best.

Are you looking for authentic Beef Enchilada Recipes? Do you want to learn how to make enchiladas the way my ancestors did? If so, click here for Authentic Beef Enchilada Recipes

The other thing I learned in New Mexico is that your plate has to be smothered in green or red chile preferably Both.

This is called Christmas Style and you can read more about it in a very funny article. This is also the inspiration for our Christmas Salsa, which is now available. This Award Winning Salsa is made with Fire Roasted Red and Green Chile and is an excellent choice for gift giving this year.

You've heard that the locals in New Mexico love both red and green chile smothered over everything. Well, this is true and you can read about red and green chiles, Christmas Style in New Mexico Christmas Style Article

How To Make Enchiladas

There are some tricks to learn how to make enchiladas, you can be sure about that. Some of these techniques make no sense, but they work. For instance, the tortillas need to be coated in hot oil. The reason for this that traditional corn tortillas soak up too much enchilada sauce and when they do, they become mushy.

Need more information about enchilada sauce recipes?

Learn more about how to make enchiladas Are you looking for more authentic recipes?

We have a wonderful page exploring the way to create a traditional Mexican Dinner.

Our Enchilada Sauce Recipe absolutely rocks!

Learn all about Cheese Enchilada Recipes

Learn More About Chiles

Chile anatomy is fun and interesting. Did you know that all chiles start out green?

It is only in the autumn months, after the chile has stayed on the vine for a long time, that they finally start to turn red.

If you love a good enchilada sauce recipe, information about red chiles should pique your interest. Learn more about the hottest pepper

Make Albondigas

When I think of authentic mexican food, I always want albondigas, or little meatballs. This easy to make dinner is perfect for the crockpot.

Simply make them the night before and refrigerate. In the morning turn on the slow cooker and when you get home, get ready for a delicious dinner.

We have more crock pot recipes including a southwest pot roast and some yummy cheesy potatoes. It's easy when you use Coyote Trail sauces. Try some and make everyday gourmet.

Cheaper Shipping Charges

We ship USPS Priority Mail and have found that by sending product flat rate you save money. Basically any order up to six bottles costs about the same. So, why not splurge? This might be your chance to taste some exotic flavors with very little shipping charges.

Here's another way to save money. Our newsletter recipients often are given coupon codes to buy at a discount. Join our newsletter and save even more.