If you’ve only ever had baked enchiladas smothered in canned sauce, this stovetop venison enchiladas recipe is about to change the way you think about Mexican food. With bold red chile sauce, skillet-seared venison, and crispy edges straight from the skillet, these redefine the family favorite comfort food.
This isn’t just another ground venison dinner. These venison enchiladas are dipped in homemade chile sauce, filled with sliced meat, seared like a quesadilla, and finished with cheese and more sauce over the top. The result is crispy, saucy, and layered with wild red meat flavor.
While baked versions dominate today’s blogs, it’s thought that this a la plancha style may have been one of the earliest forms of enchiladas. This rustic stovetop method remains common in parts of Mexico, offering both speed and authenticity for street vendors
Can I Use Ground Venison Instead?
Absolutely, this makes an easy swap. Brown 1 lb of ground venison in olive oil with garlic and onion. Season with salt, pepper, or your favorite taco seasoning. Stir in green chilies for a little extra heat.
This is one of my go-to meals from my Ground Venison Recipes collection, especially when prepping ahead.
Storage and Leftovers
Leftover venison enchiladas can be stored in the fridge for 2–3 days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat to retain texture. Avoid freezing assembled enchiladas. Freeze the venison and red chile sauce separately in plastic wrap and airtight containers.
Serving Suggestions
These skillet enchiladas are rich, satisfying, and full of wild game flavor. They’re a great option for a fast Mexican food dinner the whole family will enjoy.
For something that really pops on the plate, serve them bandera style with red chile sauce, salsa verde, and cheese echoing the Mexican flag.
Want another Mexican-inspired wild game dinner? Try these.
Need more meal ideas? Browse the full Venison Recipe Collection for your next favorite.
Make these venison enchiladas and tell me how yours turned out in the comments! If you enjoyed them, leave me a 5 star review! Tag me @larry__white on Instagram and show off your wild game cooking skills!
Stovetop Venison Enchiladas
Ingredients
For the Red Chile Sauce
- 4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cups chicken stock
- kosher salt, to taste
For the Enchiladas
- 1 lb venison steak (top round, sirloin tip, or backstrap, thinly sliced across the grain)
- 1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheese or crumbled queso fresco
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed (for cooking the enchiladas)
Instructions
Make the Sauce
- Heat a dry large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the unpeeled garlic and the chiles. Toast the chiles on each side until they are fragrant and start to smoke lightly. Remove the chiles and place in a bowl of hot tap water for 20 minutes, weighing them down with a small plate.
- Continue to cook the garlic on each side until it has softened, around 10 minutes. Let the garlic cool and then peel.
- Drain the chiles and place them along with the garlic, cumin, pepper, sugar, and chicken stock into a blender. Puree until smooth and then season to taste with salt. Pour the sauce into a bowl large enough to dip the tortillas into.
For the Enchiladas
- Make the Enchilada Filling: Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to smoke lightly, add the venison and season with salt and pepper. Cook the venison until just browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onions and garlic until softened. Turn off the heat and return venison to the skillet and toss together.
- Assemble and Cook the Enchiladas: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add around 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Dip a tortilla in the chile sauce and then place it in the skillet. After 30 seconds, flip, then add a small amount of filling and cheese. Fold like a quesadilla and sear both sides until lightly crisped. Add more olive oil to the pan if needed. Repeat this process for each tortilla.
- Serve: Top with more chile sauce, cheese, onion and cilantro.
