Merry March, Marvelous Munchers! I am a little late on a monthly updating, but I was reminded of this dish when my friend Chris was looking for something simple to make that differed from his usual chicken and rice or chicken and salad. Chris, this one is for you: I promised easy... just not quick ;)
What you’ll need:
Skillet (larger than your tortillas)
Glass or Metal baking dish (I use a Pyrex glass 9” x 13” baking dish)
Spatula
Plate (Larger than your tortillas)
Tongs
Ingredients:
½ Pre-Roasted Chicken, Shredded
Small Can Green Enchilada Sauce (Las Palmas is pretty good but use Hatch if you can get it)
12-16 Small Tortillas (I prefer yellow corn, but your choice)
Olive Oil (you can use any oil you prefer)
1 Cup Onion, julienned
2 cloves Garlic, sliced or minced
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Marjoram
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cayenne Powder
½ tsp Salt
Cilantro (optional, fresh chopped is the best)
1 small can Black Olives, sliced and pitted (optional)
1 Cup? Cheese, grated (optional and to taste - Swiss would probably be a good one for this)
Optional toppings:
Onions, diced
Sour Cream
1. Heat 2 Tablespoons of Olive oil in the skillet pan. Once hot, add the spices, onions, and garlic and sautee on medium heat until glassy. Remove to a holding dish using the tongs (or a fork). Leave the spice/oil mixture in the pan!
2. Add a little of the enchilada sauce to the plate and pour in enough to coat the bottom of your bake pan.
3. Add more Olive oil to the pan so that it is ¼” thick in the pan. Heat until oil is shimmering. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
4. Heat a tortilla in the oil until bubbly on one side, then use the spatula to flip. Heat the tortilla until bubbling. Using the tongs or Spatula, remove the tortilla from the oil, allowing excess oil to drip off. You may need to add oil as you go, just wait until it has heated up entirely before continuing.
5. Dip the tortilla in the sauce on the plate so that the enchilada sauce coats both sides (You may need to add more sauce to the plate every couple of enchiladas).
6. Place a few bite sized pieces of Chicken, a fork full of onion/garlic mixture, a few olives, cilantro, and a sprinkle of cheese into the center of the tortilla. Roll into a tube (or fold in half) and place into the baking dish.
7. Repeat steps 4 – 6 until your baking dish is full.
8. Pour what’s left of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, along with a sprinkling olives and more cheese.
9. Bake in the oven uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
10. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite topping!
This recipe is very loosely structured. You can make a lot of enchiladas without increasing the spices. What I have included here usually leaves me with a little extra spice/oil combo. Also, as I can’t eat cheese, I don’t cook with it. You’ll have to figure out how much you want to add. For the chicken, any flavor will do but I would avoid the BBQ ones because I find it clashes with the flavors in this recipe. My local grocery store has Lemon and Garlic flavored varieties that I found taste excellent. If you want a little more heat, try julienning (thin slices) some Anaheim, Jalepeno, Hatch green, or Sorrento peppers and sautéing them in with the onions and garlic, or increase the chili powder/cayenne amounts. If you like less heat, forgo both the cayenne and the chili powder altogether. For those of you that like the red enchilada sauce better, feel free to substitute. I happen to think the green tastes better without the cheese.
This recipe takes a little longer to make, as you have to hand assemble all of the enchiladas, but I find that it is worth it. It usually costs me about $12 dollars to make 12-16 enchiladas. You can easily make twice as many for roughly $3 more by doubling the chicken, onions, and garlic and using a large can of sauce. I tend to use the other half of the chicken to make my pasta salad instead. 16 enchiladas feeds me for days.. Enjoy!
~Tiffens
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