Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe in a Mexican Cookbook I have and since I was looking for something new I went for this recipe. Chicken Enchiladas are something I always order when I go out to Mexican restaurants and it's something I will still do because making them at home was simple but time consuming. For the sauce I used a standard Mexican Red sauce or salsa roja. This sauce can be used as a taco topping or even a dip for chips. To make the dish a little healthier I only used chicken breast meat, I cut down on the cheese, and used whole wheat tortillas. For garnish I whipped up a little guacamole, a black bean and quinoa salad and bought a bag of tortilla chips for some crunch in the final dish.

Ingredients:

1 batch of Salsa Roja (below) or 1 jar bought enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheese like monterey jack or cheddar
3 cups shredded pre-cooked chicken
salt and pepper
12 tortillas

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450

2. In a bowl mix 1/4 cup of enchilada salsa and 1/4 cup cheese with the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Coat 1 tortilla in sauce by dipping it right into the pan of warmed sauce. Place on a plate and put about 1/4 cup of chicken filling. Roll up. Repeat until filling and tortillas are gone. Place each one in a 9 x 13 baking sheet.

4. Spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas and sprinkle with some of the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes of until heated through and bubbling.


Salsa Roja

6 large, ripe tomatoes
3 serrano chiles
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 of an onion, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Place the tomatoes and serrano chiles in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomato skins are peeling off and the tomatoes are soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Removes tomatoes and chilies with a slotted spoon and let cool for a few minutes, then peel off the tomato skins and stem and seed the chiles.

2. Puree the tomatoes, chilis, and chicken stock in a blender and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Saute the garlic and onion until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato mixture and cook, stirring until liquid has evaporated and sauce has thickened slightly.

-my tweek on this recipe is at the final step, I blended everything together because I didn't like the chunk of the veg. for the final enchiladas.