| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 roasted turkey breast (2 to 2 1/2 pounds cooked breast meat)
- 2 tablespoons EVOO
- 3 to 4 ounces center cut smoky bacon or applewood bacon, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 jalapeno or Fresno chiles, chopped (seed the chiles for a milder filling)
- 2 medium or 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, scant palmful
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- About 1 cup leftover gravy, or turkey or chicken stock
- Salt
- 16 corn tortillas or twelve 6-inch flour tortillas
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or combo of Monterey and Pepper Jack
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or combo of Monterey and Pepper Jack
- One 4-ounce tin diced green chiles, well drained
- Chopped or shredded iceberg or Romaine heart lettuce
- Diced avocado with lime juice
- Seeded diced tomatoes
- Chopped red onion or scallions
- Creme fraiche or Mexican crema or sour cream, for dolloping
Instructions
- Coarsely chop the turkey meat and pulse process in a food processor into a fine chop.
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat with the EVOO, a couple turns of the pan. Add the bacon and render until crispy. Add the garlic, chiles and onions. Season with cumin and some pepper. Saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the turkey, cilantro, tomatoes and lime juice. Then add the gravy or stock to moisten. Warm through and season with salt. Remove from the heat.
- Char the tortillas and blister in a hot dry skillet or over an open flame on a gas burner, 30 to 40 seconds per side.
- In a sauce pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the mixture until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in two-thirds of the cheese to melt, then stir in the green chiles.
- Fill the tortillas with the turkey and bacon mixture and arrange in a large baking dish. Pour the sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Then top with the remaining cheese. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
- To bake the enchiladas, bring to room temperature and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the enchiladas until brown and bubbly, about 40 minutes if from the fridge, or 20 to 25 minutes if still warm from the initial preparation.
- Serve and top the enchiladas with lettuce, avocado, lime, tomatoes, onions and creme fraiche.
Reviews
I just happened upon this recipe the day after Thanksgiving, had leftover turkey and gravy, and the other ingredients on hand so I thought I’d give it a try. It was delicious! It’s quick and easy to throw together with my food processor. I only had one small jalapeño but it turned out to be enough for a nice mild heat and flavor. I was doubtful about the addition of gravy but the little amount used was just enough to bind the ingredients and provide moisture. The toasty cumin and mild green chilies in the cheesy sauce gave it an authentic TexMex appeal. I’m saving this recipe for any other time I serve turkey and have leftovers. And the fresh veggies and toppings really brightened and transformed the dish.
This casserole got great reviews from my family! So I gave it a 5. But: the filling was a bit dry. I used a 3-1/2 lb half bone-in turkey breast, roasted. Two people ate off it the first night; then I took the meat and used it afterwards for this recipe. I regret not weighing it. I added about 4 oz extra uncured center cut bacon, which was a good idea, to the filling. However, I would either double the stock you put in the filling, or increase the easy to make sauce and add double the sauce (in place of gravy) or use 1 part sauce and 1 part stock to increase the moisture in the filling. It needs to be more than just slightly damp. It needs to be moist and tasty and edible by itself without extra sauce on top, as the tortillas are dry and the sauce that goes on top only gives its moisture to them and it doesn’t really spread to the filling. But the flavor, overall, is great!
I cut the jalapeno in half, and that was a mistake. It needs the full amount.
With the turkey I had, and the fact I added extra cheese to the sauce (only about 1/3 more), and a little bit of extra bacon, I came out with 1 – 9″ x 12″ pan and 2 8″ x8″ pans. There were 13 of the 6 inch corn enchiladas in the large pan and 8-9 in the two smaller ones. That’s why I needed more cheese sauce. Or maybe the recipe is just short on moisture and sauce. I filled the tortillas amply,but I tried to keep them just full enough so I could roll them and put them seam side down.
The sauce is great and easy to make — don’t hesitate to make extra so you have a lot! Extra cheese in the sauce and on top is not illegal and always welcome. . . .
Note: This recipe is a lot of work and uses a lot of dishes. I filled a whole, previously empty dishwasher with them and still had some to do by hand!
Very good. We don’t like hot so I used a can of Tomatoes with green chilies instead of the tomatoes and jalapenos. I also used rotisserie chicken from the store. All enchiladas are labor intensive, this one is no exception. From start to finish, including taking the meat off the rotisserie chicken, was 1 1/2 hours. A whole chicken makes probably the right amount. I used a little more and had leftover chicken mixture even after 10 flour tortillas. Delicious.
This was very good. A little labor intensive. It’s a great recipe to make on a cold winter day when you feel like being in the kitchen. I will definitely make this again.
My neighbor just brought me dinner – turkey club enchilada. Yummy! I will definitely make it when I have left over turkey, or chicken. Delicious! P.S. I have a nice neighbor!
Absolutely amazing meal! I made this tonight with our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving & it was so delicious. My husband & kids loved it! I watched the video & it was really easy to make. I think this will be a new holiday tradition for our turkey leftovers. Thanks Rachel!