Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

If you are looking for a Cinco de Mayo recipe this could be your perfect meal. It is cheesy, delicious and pairs well with some guacamole, chips and a frosty margherita. My husband John thinks Cinco de Mayo should be a national holiday so he's been talking about how he wants to celebrate for months now. Unfortunately, I'll be working so he'll be on his own to enjoy it with his friends. This recipe is time consuming so I wouldn't recommend it for a weeknight after work meal but it is certainly worth the extra effort. If you want a short cut you could always buy a premade jar of enchilada sauce instead of making it from scratch. This also reheats really well so it can be prepared in advance which is what we did a few weeks ago. 

Adapted from: http://www.annies-eats.com/

Ingredients:

1 Large Onion - Diced

2 Jalapeno Peppers - Seeded and Diced

2 Small Fresno Peppers - Seeded and Diced

3 Garlic Cloves - Minced

15oz Can of Tomato Sauce

1 Cup Water

1 Tomato - Seeded and Diced

1lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 Tsp Cumin

3 Tbsp Chili Powder

2 Cups Shredded Mexican Blended Cheese

6-8 Flour or Whole Wheat Tortillas

1 Tsp Canola Oil

Pam Cooking Spray

S&P

Start by prepping all of your veggies. In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the onion and peppers, stirring frequently cook for 8-10 minutes. Next add the garlic, sugar, cumin, and chili powder. Stir everything together and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the tomato sauce, water and diced tomatoes. Give it a few good stirs. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat and cook it uncovered for 5 minutes, it should become slightly thicker. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste. Add the chicken breasts, nestling them into the pan. Cover and cook over low heat about 15-20 minutes until the chicken has cooked completely through.

When the chicken is almost done cooking, preheat the oven to 425 F. Spray a 9x13in baking dish with Pam and set aside. Once the chicken has cooked all the way through, take it out and set it aside for about 10 minutes to cool so you can shred it with a fork.

Pour the entire pan of sauce into a medium sized strainer, over a bowl that is a little bit larger then the opening of the strainer. Using a ladle or spoon push all of the liquid out of the vegetables. When all the liquid has dripped through, put the vegetables in small bowl.

Make yourself an assembly line grabbing the shredded chicken, strained vegetables, shredded cheese, tortillas, enchilada sauce and the baking dish. Take a tortilla and place a handful of chicken in the middle, topped by some of the vegetables, a sprinkle of cheese and finally a spoonful of the enchilada sauce. Roll the enchilada tightly and place it seam side down in the baking dish.

Repeat the same steps with each tortillas and line them up side by side in the baking dish. Spray the tops of tortillas with Pam and put them in the oven for 5-7 minutes. This will allow them to get just a little bit crispy and brown. Take them out of the oven, reduce the heat to 400F. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on them. Cover with foil and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 5 minutes. Let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!! - Nicole

This is linked to http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/, http://www.housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/, http://www.thecountrycook.net/, http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/, http://www.momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/, http://eatathomecooks.com/, http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com/