Chicken Enchiladas

Food for thought:

      Chicken Enchiladas are a wonderful meal to use some of the sauces you’ve made. From Hulk’s Guacamole to Salsa Verde to a rich flavourful Enchiladas Sauce use one or use them all. One nice thing about Chicken Enchiladas, besides tasting great they can be very forgiving.

      I will confess that I use store bought sauces much of the time making Enchiladas. Most busy people don’t have time to BBQ a Chicken make two Sauces and Guacamole then throw it all together.

      I almost always stop at the store on the way home and buy a precooked Chicken. I usually buy one prepackaged sauce but I try to have at least one homemade sauce and Guacamole at home. Using just one homemade sauce like the Enchiladas Sauce or Salsa Verde can elevate your dish. Your Enchiladas can go from “this is a good prepackaged sauce Dad” to “Wow you make great Enchiladas”.

      No one has to be the wiser, they don’t need to know how much is prepackaged and how much is homemade LOVE. One side note is when buying something prepackaged if you can’t read the ingredients don’t buy it. There are lots of options these days so choose something without artificial preservatives.

the shopping list:

      To save time in a busy schedule I will stop by the grocery store on my way home. I’ll grab a precooked Chicken some Black Beans, Red Pepper, Green Onion, Cilantro and a can of chopped Green Chilies.

      If I haven’t pre-made Enchiladas Sauce, Salsa Verde or Guacamole I look for quality pre-made Sauces too.

      Don’t forget the Tortillas Shells, I like the Large flour shells but choose what you like. Lastly a nice Jack Cheese really helps glue everything together…. Literally.

On to the recipe:

      First things first turn the oven on to 350° C. Take the Chicken and remove the skin then tear it apart into small pieces. I use my fingers for this because I find it faster but two forks will work great too. Put the shredded Chicken into a large mixing bowl as you go.

      Dice the Red Pepper, chop the Cilantro and Green Onion and add them to the Bowl. It is nice to reserve some of the Pepper, Onion and Cilantro to garnish the top after cooking. Open the cans of Black Bean and Green Chillies, drain and add to the bowl. Add half of the grated Monterey jack cheese to the bowl along with one cup of the Salsa Verde.

      Mix all the filling together, pull down a 9 x 13 casserole dish and grab the Tortillas Shells. I like to have two or three Tortillas Shells spread out at once. I get my very versatile Ice cream scoop and scoop one to one and a half scoops per shell. The Ice cream scoop helps to measure and keep all the shells equal without having to think too much.

      Spread the mixture out along one end of the shell and role until you reach the other end. Spread approximately ¼ c of the Enchiladas Sauce into the bottom of the Casserole dish and spread around. Start placing the rolled Tortillas on top of the Enchiladas Sauce as you go.

      After your dish is full spread at least ½ – ¾ c more of the Enchiladas Sauce over the top of the Tortillas. Feel free to use more Sauce if you want that is up to your families taste buds. Finally, top with the remaining Cheese and place in the oven for 35-45 minutes. Everything is already cooked so all you are doing is warming it through.

      Garnish with the leftover Pepper, Onion and Cilantro top with a little, or a lot :), of Hulk’s Guacamole and enjoy.

      This process might seem long but it really isn’t especially if you have premade one or both of the Sauces. The Enchiladas Sauce and Salsa Verde Recipes are easy and keep well in the fridge. The cutting and assembly are minimal considering you have lunch and possibly dinner for the next night.