Chicken Enchiladas
This is a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken, but you can use any chicken you want. If you use raw chicken, I find the thighs are best. This is based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 teaspoons cumin ground
- 2 teaspoons coriander ground
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 12-16 ounces chicken see note
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 3 or 4 ounce jar green chiles chopped
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated
Final Assembly
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
Filling
- Using a medium saucepan or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion to the hot oil and saute it over medium heat for 5 or 6 minutes until it is softened and golden brown.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and sugar to the onions. Stir for about a minute.
- Add the chicken, and stir for another minute or two, coating the chicken with the spices.
- Add the tomato sauce and water and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Using a mesh strainer, strain the mixture into a bowl. Try to get as much liquid into the bowl as possible.
- Set the bowl with the liquid sauce to the side. Put the chicken into a medium bowl and chill it in your fridge for a half hour.
- Have a nice glass of malbec.
- When the chicken is cooled, add the chiles and 8 ounces of grated cheese to the bowl and mix.
Final Assembly
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 ºF.
- Spread about half of the sauce evenly into the bottom of a 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla. Roll the tortillas tightly and put them into the baking dis with the seam side down.
- Spread the rest of the sauce over the tops of the tortillas. Sprinkle the last 4 ounces of cheddar cheese over the sauce.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 25 minutes.
Notes
I use leftover rotisserie chicken and shred it for this recipe. You can use raw chicken and cook it in the sauce, just trim the chicken pieces and cut them into 1/4 inch wide strips. I find thighs work best for enchiladas.