I've flirted with the idea of making enchiladas for probably longer than the hubs and I have been married. I've always wanted to do it, but I've also been intimidated by the idea. I wanted them to be good! So tonight, I made the commitment - we were having enchiladas, it was necessary, and I was going to make them semi-healthy. (Healthy went pretty much out the window with the cheese I used, but I get a point or two for good intentions, right?)
In any case, I did a little research about what enchiladas actually were, and how they were assembled. I went ahead and had my own way with this. This recipe is super Americanized (sorry!) and I didn't use corn tortillas - I just don't like soft corn tortillas, they have an odd after taste to me! I used Fat free Flour Tortillas. They're my absolute favorite and I found I actually like them better as tortillas go than regular ones. How often do you find lighter fare that actually tastes better than the original? Not often. The only drawback to these tortillas is that they're really soft and thin, and so when you pull them out of the package you have to separate them carefully or else you will end up ripping them apart. And they're so good, that would be such a shame!
Anyway, when hubby came home tonight, his reaction to what I had in the oven was visible. He said to me, "If what you have in there tastes as good as it smells, I'm kissing you...then you're going to explain why you've never made it before." Cute. But I was nervous until the first bite was taken. I'd never made this before! I'd also had a ruined Mexican inspired dinner memory that had weakened my confidence in this arena. I didn't relax until I had my first bite. It was so so good! Yum is not even the word. So, I immediately scooted over here to write it down before I forgot what I did.
Now, it's confession time. I am not at all a technical cook. I'm a technical baker, but when it comes to spicing something, it's a shake or two here and three shakes there. I know a lot of people like written in stone measurements, so I've guessed on some of it below. The thing with cooking is that all you're doing is adding flavor. So if you like a lot of flavor add more, if you don't like as much of this or that, add less. I'm relatively hippie-like with my seasonings. It's all free-love with my spice cabinets. :)
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts fully cooked and shredded
1 cup of chicken broth (I used the broth the chicken had cooked in)
1/2 can of rotel
1 tsp of minced garlic (I used it from the jar)1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp of salt
3-4 jalepeno slices from the jar along with a little of the juice poured in
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp garlic pepper
1/4 red pepper
1 pinch of dried cilantro
4 shakes of Franks red hot
For the sauce:1 T of Vegetable oil
1 T flour
2 cups of Chicken broth*
2/3 jar of Trader joe's salsa
1/2 cup of Kroger's mild Taco sauce
1 8 oz. can of Kroger's Tomato sauce
1 pinch of Cilantro
*chicken broth comes from the cooked chicken. I always add salt and Country Crock light margarine to mine to give it a little more flavor)
Tortillas:
6 fat free tortillas lightly toasted for 30 seconds in a 500 degree oven
Cheese:
2 cups of Kraft's Triple Cheese blend
1 cups of Kroger's Sharp Cheddar Cheese
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| Woops! Forgot a picture of the Cilantro. I swear by this freeze-dried stuff! |
Ahem...ANYWAY.
Next, I removed the fully cooked chicken breasts and shredded them (As yet another aside, if you happen to have a KitchenAid mixer, you can use the whisk attachment to shred your chicken and it is glorious. All my food processors do is make contemptible chicken crumbs. J/S). In a large pan I threw in all of the ingredients listed above: broth, cilantro, rotel, minced garlic, garlic powder, garlic pepper, salt, pepper, red pepper, Frank's, jalepenos and their juice, etc. And then I sauteed the mix until all of the liquid had cooked out of it. When the liquid's gone, your chicken is done (and delicious). This is evidenced in my smokey picture below.
In the same saucepan I used to boil the chicken, I put in my vegetable oil, flour, and chicken broth and stirred until the flour dissolved into the broth. I then poured in my salsa, taco sauce, and tomato sauce. When the sauce was steamy and bubbly, I spooned a just little of the sauce into my sauteed chicken mixture. Why not? :)
While everything was cooking, I set my oven at 500 degrees and placed my tortillas on a pan (On a big pan I could put about three at a time) and let them cook for about 30 seconds each. The point is to get them a little toasty without making them hard, so don't leave them in the oven any longer than that.
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| Here we are pre-cheese and sauce. |
When everything was ready to go, I sprayed a 9x13 dish and coated the bottom of the dish with the sauce mixture. Then I dipped and coated each tortilla into the sauce pan and filled them one at a time with the chicken and topped with cheese before rolling them up and placing them seam side down in the baking dish. Once the dish was full, I topped the enchiladas with the rest of the triple cheese (there wasn't enough to keep), then ladled some of the sauce over each enchilada. I topped it all off with the sharp cheddar cheese and put it in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The goal here is to allow the cheese to melt.
When they were done, I sprinkled a little parsley flakes over top for color and added a spoonful of fat-free sour cream on top.
This recipe may have a lot of steps, but it definitely does not take very long to make. My husband ran out to wash and vacuum his car, and by the time he got back they were in the oven with less than ten minutes to go. I can even begin to express how good these were. The chicken and the tortillas were really flavorful and tender and didn't pack too much heat (If you want more heat, I'd suggest upping the jalepenos and/or red pepper). We were really pleased with this dish and it is definitely something I'll be making again. Maybe next time, however, I will take the time to buy some fat free cheddar and won't have to take my dogs on a walk around the entire neighborhood so I won't feel as guilty!
Hope you enjoyed your dinner tonight as much as we did!
God Bless!
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