Chicken Enchiladas

I feel like Bubba Gump but instead of shrimp, it’s chicken. As many of you will recall, I roasted a chicken not too long ago and it’s been feeding me the way I imagine bison used to feed whole tribes back in the day…for a very, very long time.

So this was the second installment of chicken dishes I made. The BF had swooped into town at the last minute on a very cheap ticket (hat tip, American Airlines, thank you!) and true to form I experimented with a recipe and made him eat it.

Okay. Imma say this now…I love Tyler Florence, I really do. But I’m half Mexican-American and I’m from Arizona and I know my Mexican food and I’m weirdly obsessed about it being JUST RIGHT. The way those BBQ guys are on Pitmasters are on TLC.

So…nice try, Tyler?! I was encouraged by the comments…everyone proclaiming that these were so delicious and yummy. And they’re good. I mean, they’re not bad. They just aren’t my Valle Luna. So once I got over that I really enjoyed them.

Just one note…more cheese. Just double the cheese. Double the cheese inside the tortilla…and don’t be afraid to load up on the cheese on the outside. Part of the appeal of an enchilada is the cheesey gooeyness.

This is a good dish to enlist the help of someone else with, too. The BF quickly became an expert enchilada wrapper, but I could see little hands having fun mushing around in the sauce and getting dirty, too.

I’ll spare you the third and fourth installments of chicken recipes. They were burritos and then the chicken mixture over brown rice. I’m done with chicken. For awhile.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Tyler Florence

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend (I used Cholula powder seasoning)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.