Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas!

 

Saturday night's dilemma?  Option A: dressing up like a hooker on Halloween and getting elbows smashed into my face squishing through a crowded bar... Option B:  Get drunk at home with my fabulous hubby and have a Mexican fiesta theme night avec a lovely line up of horror flicks.  Option B won the race.

In light of this decision I decided to go all out and make a full out authentic Mexican feast.  Menu consisted of chips with tomatillo salsa to snack on pre-game.  Cervesas. Cornbread. Refried Beans. Mexican rice & of course - the star of the show - Chicken Enchiladasssss! The recipes for everything else are soon to come - but for now - let's master the main event first.

You will need: (makes 8 enchiladas)

2 roasted chickens (fully cooked)
EVOO
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Mexican spice blend
2 small red onions (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 cup canned corn
5 whole green chilies - canned (chopped and seeded)
4 chipotle chilies - canned (minced and seeded)
1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes
8 flour or corn tortillas
4 cups enchilada sauce
3 cups shredded montery jack, manchego and mozzarella cheese
Garnish: cilantro, sour cream & scallions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Using your hands, shred your chicken.  In a large pan, coat it with oil and add your shredded chicken along with your cumin, garlic powder and the Mexican spice blend.  Saute for 2-3 minutes and then remove chicken and set aside.  In the same pan, saute your red onions and garlic until tender.  Add your corn, chilies (both) and stir well.  Add the stewed tomatoes and saute for another minute.  Add the chicken back into the pan and let simmer for 30 minutes.  Taste for salt.

Microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds (this helps make them more pliable).  Coat the bottom of two baking pans (or one large one) with a ladle of enchilada sauce.  In a separate bowl add the rest of your enchilada sauce.  Coat a tortilla with some enchilada sauce and then spoon 1/2 cup of your chicken mixture into it, folding, and then placing it in the pan - seam side down.  Repeat this process for the rest of the tortillas and use the extra enchilada sauce to drizzle over the top of when you are finished assembling them.  Top them with some shredded cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese melts.  Garnish & Serve!

Stay tuned for the rest of the fabulous sides to this amazing Mexican fiesta feast!

xo Chef Natty