OMG, y’all. I started this whole thing on a complete whim because I was craving Mexican food hardcore. And yes, I know that 99% of my recipes start that way, but I seriously was not expecting it to be one of the best things I’ve ever made. There are some things I’ll try slightly differently next time, and if I like them, I’ll tweak the recipe a little. But holy crap, these are good. If you love cheese enchiladas, you won’t miss the tortillas at all.

Won’t miss the tortillas? Then what is that in the picture? Guys, it’s just deli chicken. Turkey would probably work too, but I wanted the flavor and texture of chicken. Get it fairly thickly-sliced, because too thin and it’ll fall apart. You’ll need 10 thick slices for this. You may want to get a few extra just in case they fall apart. It was probably around a pound and a quarter or so.

First, start with the sauce. If you’re busy or just feeling lazy, get one of those 8 ounce bags of Frontera red enchilada sauce. They’re good, fairly low in carbs, and nobody will judge. But if you want to do something different, make your own. It’s actually much easier than I though it would be, to be honest.

Put 4 dried guajillo chiles and 8 dried chiles de arbol in a saucepan and cover with 3 cups of chicken broth. Use one of those 4 cup boxes of chicken broth, because you’ll likely need a bit more of it later. Bring to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, turning the peppers every five minutes or so, until they’re nice and soft.

When the chiles are soft, remove them from the pot, take off the stems, and toss them into a food processor. Pour the hot broth into a 2-cup measuring cup. If you have two cups, great. If not, add more chicken broth until it hits the 2-cup line, then put it into the food processor too. Next time, I’ll wait until my garlic is cooked and put it in there too. I just forgot this time. Whiz it up until it’s as smooth as you can get it. Chunks and seeds are unavoidable.

In the same saucepan, heat up 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and toast about a tablespoon and a half of minced garlic until it begins to turn golden. Put a fine mesh colander on top of the saucepan and pour the contents of the food processor into it, pressing down on the top with a wooden spoon to make sure all the liquid gets out. Discard the remaining pepper skins and seeds. Add a tablespoon and a half of apple cider vinegar and a half-teaspoon of salt. Continue to simmer and reduce for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, then sprinkle a half teaspoon of xanthan gum over the top of the sauce, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, whisking until it’s incorporated. If it’s thick enough after the first 1/4 teaspoon, you can stop here, but if you like it thicker, you can add another one.

Pour half of the sauce into a 9×13 baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar with 8 ounces of a good Mexican melting cheese (I used Chihuahua, but queso blanco or Monterey would also work). Put out your slices of chicken, put about 1/4 cup or so of the cheese into the middle of the slice, and roll it up. Place it seam side down in the sauce. Repeat this until all of the rolls are in the pan, then pour over the remaining sauce, sprinkle with any leftover cheese, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. You may need to put the last two underneath the top 8, as pictured here.

I made this as a make-ahead meal for my lunches this week, so I waited until they were room temperature before I removed them from the pan. I’m not sure how they’d hold up if you were taking them right out for dinner, so if you try this, let me know! In the meantime, I’ll keep trying to figure out a good substitute for refried beans.

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