Red Enchilada Sauce

Red Enchilada sauce drizzled over enchiladas

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5 from 8 votes

Restaurant-quality Mexican red enchilada sauce.

Prep Time0

Cook Time10

Total Time10

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex Mex

Servings: cups

Calories: 231kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Ingredients

¼ cup oil , canola or vegetable
½ cup flour , all-purpose
4 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons ground chili powder See recipe notes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground oregano
2 teaspoons tomato sauce
salt to taste

Instructions

In a medium saucepan on medium low heat, add oil; whisk in flour (the mixture will be clumpy)
¼ cup oil, ½ cup flour
Whisk in chicken broth; whisk till the mixture is smooth; add tomato sauce
4 cups chicken broth, 2 teaspoons tomato sauce
Add dry ingredients (See recipe notes about the chili powder)
4 tablespoons ground chili powder , ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground oregano, ½ teaspoon onion powder
Turn the heat up to medium or medium-high, and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes then reduce heat to low and stir until sauce thickens and sticks to the spoon. DO NOT BRING THE SAUCE TO A BOIL. Remove from heat
salt to taste
Season to taste with salt
Serve or refrigerate for later. Sauce thickens upon cooling.

Notes

Chili powder - this recipe as written, calls for 4 tablespoons of chili powder and is mildly spicy. However, since not all chili powders are the same (some are stronger than others), I recommend you start with 2 tablespoons of chili powder; once the other ingredients are added and the sauce has thickened, taste it for salt and seasonings. If you want it more spicy, add the remaining chili powder in ½ teaspoon increments, until you get the sauce to taste as strong as you like.

No oregano? substitute with marjoram

Note: this recipe yields 4 cups of sauce; nutrition is calculated for one cup. It's unlikely anyone would consume a whole cup of sauce, so for more accurate nutrition info, divide by 4, allowing 1/4 cup sauce per person.
Divide by 2 for 1/2 cup per person.
Want it spicier? Add more chili powder and/or cayenne pepper?
Want it thicker? Add a flour slurry at the end: 1 cup warm water with 2-3 tablespoons of flour; whisk together, pour into sauce; cook a few minutes until thick

Nutrition