How to Make Chicken Enchiladas with a Green Enchilada Sauce

One of my favorite dishes is chicken enchiladas made with a green enchilada sauce. One of the major mistakes that many cooks make is to not bother seasoning the chicken and simply having chicken and cheese in the enchiladas. I prefer to season mine with sautéed onion and garlic and also with Ortega chilies, salsa and seasonings. This way they come out very flavorful.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas:
   
   4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
   2 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
   1/4 of an onion sliced
   1/4 teaspoon of salt
   1/2 teaspoon of garlic
   1 teaspoon of thyme
   2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
   1 onion, diced
   2 garlic cloves, minced
   One 4 ounce cans of Ortega chilies
   1 1/2 cups of a chunky salsa
   1/2 teaspoon of oregano
   1/4 teaspoon of salt
   1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
   1 teaspoon of chili powder
   2 large cans of green enchilada sauce
   1 dozen corn tortillas
   1 pounds of sharp cheddar cheese
   1 pounds of Monterey Jack cheese

2. 
    
   poach the chicken

   I have found that the best way to cook the chicken for enchiladas is to poach the chicken. That way the meat comes out moist and flavorful. To poach the chicken place the chicken in a large pan. Add enough water to the pan to cover the chicken. Add the onion, salt, garlic and thyme to the pan. Turn the burner to a medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover the pan. Let the pan sit covered for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and let cool. When the chicken is cooled shred he meat and set aside.

3. 
    
   shred the cheese

   Shred the sharp cheddar cheese and the Monterey Jack cheese and place them in a bowl and mix them together. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until its ready to use.

4. Place the vegetable oil in a large sauce pan and heat on a medium high heat. When the sauce pan is hot add the onion and the garlic and cook them over a medium heat until the onion is soft. Do not allow the onion to brown. Add the shredded chicken, Ortega chilies, salsa, oregano, salt, cumin and chili powder and mix together. Now cook over a medium low heat for about 5 minutes. Make sure that you occasionally stir so that it does not burn or stick.

5. 
    
   tortilla in small skillet

   Heat 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in heavy small skillet over medium high heat. Using tongs, add 1 tortilla and cook until softened, turning once, about 20 to 30 seconds for each side. You will have to add more enchilada sauce as you cook the other tortillas since the tortillas will soak up the sauce.

6. 
    
   fill tortilla shell

   Remove the tortilla from the skillet and place it on a plate. Then spoon about 1/4 of a cup of the chicken mixture into the tortilla and top it with some of the cheese mixture. Now roll up the tortilla and place it into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish that you have already placed about ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce into. The seam of the rolled enchilada should be placed on the bottom.

7. Now repeat the last two steps for each enchilada until the baking dish is full. Next, pour some of the enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas in the baking dish so that they lightly cover the enchiladas but not too much so they are swimming in the sauce. Your last step in preparing he enchiladas for the oven is to spread the remainder of the cheese mixture over the top of them.

8. 
    
   enchilada on plate

   Lastly, place the baking dish into a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the enchiladas are heated throughout. You can eat them as they are or top them with green onions, sour cream, guacamole or even a fried egg if you want to try something a bit different but good.

[nikkia623]

on 10/8/2009 This sounds deeeelicious!! I think I'm going to try this for our movie night this weekend. Thanks for the recipe. 5*