Chicken Enchiladas

Sorry for the lack of posts the last two weeks.  The combination of ELA/Math State Tests and the end/start of new marking periods at school has kept me busy!

On our way to the store today, Jen and I were in the mood for seafood.  We weren't sure what type so we played it by ear and looked through the seafood counter.  The fish didn't look all that spectacular.  This brings up one of the hidden meanings to "Good Food Takes Time".  I would never buy a main protein unless it was the best looking item at the counter.  So seafood can wait for another day...

Chicken Enchiladas are a standby at the MacLaughlin household.  There are only a few simple ingredients that are always readily available, they are quick and easy to make, and there are always leftovers for the school week!  This is one of the few recipes where I use store-bought pantry items (stock, salsa verde) instead of home made ingredients, since not much is required.

I should also mention that this dish is one that is permanently in Jen's repertoire.  This was one of the first dishes I taught her to make when showing her  the different sauces that could be thickened by making a roux.  Her enchiladas turned out so well, that she is in charge whenever we feel like making this dish!  On a cold, rainy day like today, this dish will warm you right up!

Ingredients:

- 1 rotisserie chicken                                                    

- 2 jars of Goya Salsa Verde

- 1 large onion

- 1 jalapeno

- 2 cups chicken stock

- a few cloves of garlic

- shredded Mexican cheese

- tortillas 

- flour

Onions with flour

This is a good recipe to prep everything ahead of time.  Slice your onions, chop garlic, dice your jalapeno and shred your chicken.  Start by sweating your onions in a saute pan with some olive oil.  When softened, add garlic and cook for another minute or so.  Add about a tablespoon of flour (or enough to lightly coat the top of your onions).  Stir in the flour.  The onions should look pasty and something like this:

The sauce is thickening

I like to start making my sauce by adding just a little bit of the stock to be certain that I can evenly distribute the flour and get it incorporated with the liquid.  When all the flour has been absorbed, add the remaining stock, salsa verde and jalapeno.  Let this mixture come up to a boil.  Once it boils, the flour will have been at its full thickening power.  Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes.

Final enchilada filling

At this point we can kill the heat, and mix in the chicken.  This would be a good time to mix in any cheese that you would like to add as well.  It gets it mixed right into the filling.

Assembling the enchilada

Pour some salsa verde into the bottom of a baking dish.  It doesn't need to be a lot, but it will absorb into the bottom of the enchilada and prevent sticking/burning of the tortilla.  Fill a tortilla, roll and place inside the baking dish. 

Top the rolled tortillas with more salsa verde and cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.

Enjoy!