Chicken Enchiladas

We love love LOVE this recipe so I had to share. These enchiladas are very similar to the ones you would get in a restaurant. It is a little time consuming and some work but it is so worth it. Trust me.

You need:

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 tsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tomato,  chopped
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
12 tortillas
Cooking spray

I usually half this recipe for just the two of us. Just FYI, the ingredients for the whole recipe is what is written, but the pictures only show half.

First, you combine the onion, jalapeno and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes.

Somehow the jalepenos didn't make the picture. (opps!)

After the veggies have softened add in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds.

Then put in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato.  Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat and cook about 5 more minutes or until the sauce has slightly thickened.

The next step is to put the chicken in the sauce. I half-ed the recipe so I only used one of the HUGE chicken breasts that come in the bags in the frozen aisle at the store. It was plenty.

Lower the heat, cover, and let cook until the chicken is completely done. About 15-20 minutes. When the chicken is cooked completely, transfer it to a cutting board.

 Strain the sauce through a strainer into a bowl. Make sure to press down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible.

Add salt and pepper to the sauce to taste.

Put the solids left in the strainer is a large bowl and set aside for now.

Now it's time to shred the chicken. I just shred it right on the cutting board with 2 forks. I basically use one fork to hold the chicken and pull at the chicken with the other one.

After it's all shredded add it to the onion and tomato mixture bowl. Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the cilantro.

Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable.

Now it's time to assemble!

Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla.  Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in a greased baking dish (9x13), seam-side down.  Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas

 Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray.  Place in the oven which was preheated to  425˚ F, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.

Reduce the oven to  400˚ F.  Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the rest of the sauce and remaining cheese over the top.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned.

 Let them sit for about 10 minutes before serving or they will completely fall apart.

On this particular night we served dinner with some frozen strawberry margaritas with sugar around the rim!

Source: Annie's Eats, Pink Parsley Catering

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