I must admit, we’re a taco sort of family. Hard or soft shell, tacos rule the M.O.B. Crib. However; what happens when she who brandishes the cooking knives is damn sick of tacos?
Enter: Enchiladas.
No, wait – Not just any enchiladas; but Annie’s Eats chicken enchiladas. One look at the recipe (and her pics) and you’ll be hooked. Cumin and chili powder in one recipe = I’m in love.
Ok, perhaps in Lust. Throw in chicken, homemade tomato sauce and some cheese? Ha – There’s bound to be trouble – Trouble of the good, satisfying, naughty kind.
I can’t say enough about these enchiladas, except they don’t make it past one night. We totally pig out on them.
Thoughts of expanding waistlines momentarily forgotten – And though I feel guilty later (much later) for putting away 3-4 in one sitting… These enchiladas are totally flipping worth the guilt.
Plus it includes my favorite activity ever – Dicing onions.
By the way, I totally learned how to dice an onion from the drawings in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Dicing used to take forever. My eyes used to tear so much I looked cartoonish. Gotta give props to Julia for her teachings. She’s the gift that keeps on giving.
These enchiladas are totally where it’s at. They may not take you back to Mexico (only a plane ticket and a margarita can do that), but they’ll definitely take you somewhere delicious. Try ’em…
Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted from: Annie’s Eats
Yield: Makes 12 enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine ( I omitted, but use em… Seriously…)
- 1 tablespoon. canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
- 2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons of sofrito
- Adobo or salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
- 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas)
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- In a large sauté or saucepan over medium heat, cook your onions stirring often until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, chili powder and sugar until the spices are fragrant, about 20 seconds.
- Add the chopped tomato, tomato sauce, water, sofrito and adobo (or salt and pepper) to taste. Lowering the heat a bit, bring the sauce to a simmer, for about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken to the sauce. Cover the chicken and cook until the chicken is completely cooked, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.
- Strain the sauce through a mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the solids to a large bowl and set aside. Add additional adobo (or salt and pepper) to the sauce if needed (I didn’t need to).
- Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the reserved solids. Add in 2-3 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the cilantro. Stir to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit and oil a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
- Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover and microwave for 40 seconds, until warm and pliable.
- Place a tortilla on a clean work surface and spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.
- Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
My rating: 5 stars: ★★★★★
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