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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Chicken Enchiladas



I'm not sure how long I have been making these enchiladas...since sometime in college is all I know. I got them from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and I mostly follow the recipe, but sometimes do a little more or less of some things. I start with a bag of chicken leg quarters and use most of the 10 lb bag, so I always end up making chicken and dumplings AND enchiladas since there is so much chicken. I also find that the recipe makes much more than the 8 enchiladas that it says it makes, but the amount varies each time...probably because I don't follow the recipe exactly :) You could probably make it quite a bit easier by using pre-cooked or canned chicken...but I really like the taste of the chicken that I have made for chicken soup and of homemade chicken broth. Even though they take a bit of time, these enchiladas are really yummy, so I thought that I would share.

6 inch tortillas (I use some corn and some flour. I like the corn better, Brent likes the flour better...and honestly, the flour tortillas are much easier to roll into enchiladas)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I usually just use a whole onion)
4 cloves garlic, minced (We have a jar of minced garlic in the fridge and I just through some in...it is quite a bit more than the 4 cloves that are called for)
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 8 oz carton sour cream
2 cups chicken broth
1 small can diced green chili peppers
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (I usually use 1.5 to 2 cups)
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (if you make your own broth, the chicken doesn't have to be chopped, just cook until the chicken falls apart on its own and then you have shredded chicken that works great)
sliced black olives
chopped tomatoes
sliced green onions

In a saucepan, cook onion, garlic, coriander and pepper in margarine until onion is tender. Stir flour into sour cream, then add to onion mixture. Stir in broth and chili peppers. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese (I usually add a full cup or so at this point) Stir 1/2 cup sauce into the chicken (sometimes it takes a little more than that) I often end up adding more chicken b/c I have so much sauce left over, just do a little at a time so that you will still have sauce left over to top the enchiladas.

If you are using corn tortillas, I prepare them by microwaving no more than 4 at a time in between wet paper towels...about 30 seconds is usually good...when they are hot and moist, they are less likely to crack as you roll them. Flour tortillas do not require any preparation.

Place filling on top a tortilla, then roll and place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Repeat until baking dish is full. Top tortillas with some of the remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350F for about 35 minutes. (If you forget to cover the dish, like I did this last time, the enchiladas will be too dry, so make sure you cover them!) Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for about 5 more minutes, or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions, tomatoes and olives if desired.

These also freeze very well as long as you have not put the tomatoes, green onions and olives on top yet.

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