ChickenMalia Howe

Chicken Enchiladas

ChickenMalia Howe
Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas were a nice surprise. I really like enchiladas, but I don't really like the flavor of canned enchilada sauce. This obviously prevents me from enjoying them at home. At last, here is a restaurant-quality smooth enchilada sauce that takes about 10 minutes to make and doesn't contain anything you can't pronounce. The chicken is a breeze to make and allows for prep-ahead since you make it in a crockpot. I made these with spice proportions as suggested, but found them to be a bit spicy. Not too spicy for me, but you'd for sure want to omit the cayenne if you are serving them to kids. Feel free to stuff your enchiladas with just cheese, or some cheese, sauteed spinach and black or refried beans for a delicious vegetarian option. All would be delicious with this sauce.

Chicken Enchiladas

-adapted slightly from ducksoven.blogspot.com


Chicken:

-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

-1 1/2 cups chicken or veggie broth

-1 cup of salsa

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice...I used colby jack


For sauce:

-1/4 cup vegetable oil

-2 tbsp flour

-1/4 cup chili powder

-1 cup tomato sauce

-1 1/2 cups water

-1/4 tsp cumin

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp onion powder

-1/4 tsp cayenne powder

-1/4 tsp salt


8 soft taco sized flour tortillas

An additional 1/2 cup shredded cheese


 Combine salsa and chicken broth in a crock pot. Add the chicken breasts and cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours. When done, remove chicken from crock pot and shred the chicken using two forks. Toss with some of the cooking liquid to moisten, sour cream, and the 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Feel free to do this a day or two ahead to make your life a bit easier. To make the enchilada sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. When hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the chili powder and flour. Cook for about 4 minutes or until you start to smell the chili powder.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add the tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. While the enchilada sauce is cooking, spread some of the chicken mixture into each tortilla, roll it up, and place the enchiladas side by side in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. I found that all eight were squeezed in nicely. Pour enchilada sauce over the top and spread to cover enchiladas. Top with the extra cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. I served topped with a dollop of sour cream and served alongside some roasted green beans. Delish!