Background: Growing up in Texas, I'm absolutely in love with Tex-Mex food. I was delighted when StumbleUpon brought me to a website featuring the most favorited all-time foods, but was even happier upon finding a recipe for chicken enchiladas! This one was from tideandthyme.com and features a homemade enchilada sauce.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
2 tsp sugar
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large ones)
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tbs pickled jalapenos, chopped
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
vegetable cooking spray
salt
pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the onion, oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
2. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is done, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside to cool. Strain the sauce and set aside the onion mixture.
3. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Add onion mixture, 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and the chopped jalapenos. Toss to combine.
4. Stack the tortillas, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until warm and pliable, about 40 to 60 seconds (I'd recommend doing them in groups so each one is warm when you use it. I made the mistake of zapping them all at once and some of the tortillas broke when I tried to roll them.). Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay seam-side down in a 13 X 9 baking dish.
5. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes until the tortillas start to lightly brown on top.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 400. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the remaining sauce over to coat them thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dishw tih foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Verdict: This recipe was delicious, but took way too darn long to make. I'd be fine using a can of enchilada sauce to cut down on preparation time. I don't think I'll be making this again so I'm once again on the hunt for a good chicken enchilada recipe.
