Friday, March 16, 2012

Chicken Enchiladas

I've been looking for a good chicken enchilada recipe for some time now, and when I found this recipe from Let's Dish, I decided to give it a try. It was a big hit! Serve it up with some Mexican rice, homemade salsa, or black beans, and you have a delicious meal.

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5 teaspoons sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn or flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.
Place the chicken breasts into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-20 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts you are using. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the leftover onion mixture from the strainer to a large bowl and set aside. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the onion mixture. Stir 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup of the cheese, and the cilantro into the chicken and onions. Toss to combine.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla (if necessary, soften the tortillas by heating them in the microwave). Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

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