Chicken Enchiladas

Like any Food loving blogger, I love trying out new recipes and eating different cuisines. So it was only natural that when I saw this recipe at Annie's Eats I knew I had to make it. The chicken is cooked in a tomato based sauce which makes it soft and juicy. I used a different cheese (more because I only had mozarella on hand) than what the recipe called for and even though it was not authentic it was absolutely delicious. I was a bit hesitant to try it at first as Latif is not a fan of too much tomato in his food. So I decided to reduce the amount of the sauce that is added in the end before baking. As a result I got not too saucy enchiladas which were great to eat as leftovers too. I will be definitely making this again as it was a very easy recipe and it makes a lot of food!

Recipe Source – Annie's Eats (With my notes and changes in red)

Ingredients

1 Medium Onion, Chopped Fine (Used two as I wanted more bite)

2 Jalapenos, Seeded And Chopped Fine (Used pickled)

1 Tsp Canola Oil (Used 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, Seeded And Chopped

Salt And Pepper

500 Gms Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Shredded Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Divided (Used Mozzarella)

1 Cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, Divided (Omitted)

1/2 Cup Minced Fresh Coriander Leaves

12 (6-inch) Soft Corn Tortillas

Cooking spray

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. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the coriander. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 220 degree C (425 degree F). Oil a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray (I used a smaller dish as I used only 8 tortillas) . Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable. Spoon 1/3 cup (I used 1/2 cup filling for each) of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 205 degree C (400 degree F). Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce over the top (I used only one cup of the sauce and freezed the remaining). Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Happy Eating !!