Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas is always a family comfort food for me. I grew up eating my Mother’s enchiladas, and it is always a comforting memory to eat them. The best part it is easy to do and they are delicious. You can use this enchilada recipe for beef, chicken, and even cheese enchiladas. The red enchilada sauce is so delicious, you will want to have extra if you don’t use it all.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

2lbs chicken 19 - 20 corn tortillas 1lb Monterey jack cheese 8oz cheddar cheese 4 guajillo chili pods 4 California chili pods 5 garlic 1/2 onion 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 3 tbsp Knorr's chicken bouillon

2 tbsp cooking oil

In a pot filled halfway with water, add in 3 tbsp of Knorr’s chicken bouillon. Over medium heat, bring the water to boil.

Add in your chicken of choice and allow to cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Remove from the pot and shred the chicken.

Salsa

Now take your guajillo and California chili’s and de-seed and remove the stem and veins from the pods.

Place all of your chili pods, garlic and onion into a pot and fill with water. Bring to boil and allow to cook for 15 – 20 minutes.

Once your chili pods are re hydrated and pliable and the onion is translucent, remove all of the salsa contents and place in a blender.

Add 1 cup of the salsa water and 2 cups of the chicken broth.

Blend to liquefy for 2 mins.

At this moment, it is best to taste for seasoning, if you feel it needs more seasoning, add to your taste.

Pour the salsa through a strainer, we want to remove the pulp and make the salsa as runny as possible.

Add the pulp to the shredded chicken to add flavor. This is why seasoning the salsa is key, you will be adding the flavor of the salsa to the entire dish.

Finishing the Enchilada sauce

In a sauce pan, add 2 tbsps of cooking oil and set to medium heat.

Once heated, add in 2 tbsps of All-purpose flour while consistently whisking.

Cook the flour for 2 minutes until the flour becomes golden brown.

Now slowly add in portions of the salsa while continuously whisking.

Once you have incorporated all of the salsa in the pan, mix well.

It may seem a little runny, but as the sauce cools, it will thicken up just like a gravy does.

At this moment you need to work a little fast to begin assembling the enchiladas. The sauce will thicken more as it cools, so do not wait too long.

Assembling

Now you want to organize your enchilada ingredients to be able to assemble your enchiladas, you want your griddle next to your pan with the enchilada sauce and a plate to place your coated tortillas that will sit next to your chicken and cheese. Along with a baking dish to the end, think of this like a production line, you will be going from point A to point B.

Add a little enchilada sauce to the bottom of the baking pan, just coating it lightly to prevent drying the bottom of the tortilla.

Begin heating the tortillas, you want to have your corn tortillas nicely heated so they do not crack on you when you roll the enchiladas. To heat your tortillas, you can use a comal (griddle), heated in a pan with oil or even place them in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

Dip your heated corn tortilla in the enchilada sauce coating both sides. Then place in your holding plate.

Fill the tortilla with the filling ingredients of your choice, I like to add the chicken and cheese then roll.

Place your rolled enchiladas in the baking pan.

Once all of your enchiladas are assembled, coat with the remaining enchilada sauce and top with the cheese of your choice.

Grated block cheese is always best for melting, but you can use shredded cheese. Also queso fresco is great for enchiladas.

Once your enchiladas are coated with cheese.

Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes.

Allow to cool and enjoy!