Ok, so I know this doesn't look like much. My sad, pathetic picture of these enchiladas doesn't do them justice. But hey, are enchiladas ever really attractive? I'm convinced they wouldn't taste as good if they were visually more than just a pile of cheese, sauce and tortilla.
I was asked to make enchiladas for dinner the other night by the same guy I made the salmon for a month ago. Remember when my mom was worried I'd be single forever for making a guy salmon? Well, she was wrong. Turns out, I'm not single at all anymore and I couldn't be happier! So when he asked me to make enchiladas, I thought sure thing, enchiladas, I've got this.
Except for one thing... he had a very specific recipe he wanted me to follow. A recipe that came from his friend Kara. Kara was nice enough to send us the recipe and after a little Google search, I found that it originated from Taste of Home.
I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about trying this recipe after a failed attempt at making sour cream enchiladas a few months ago. I was not looking forward to a curdled, gooey mess again. However, this recipe called for just a half cup of sour cream which is really more of a binding ingredient than the filling itself. I made a few other modifications like omitting the raw onion and adding the chicken and green chiles.
With a rich homemade enchilada sauce and a creamy cheesy filling, these enchiladas are the perfect weeknight meal. They were definitely the best enchiladas I've ever made and probably the best I've ever eaten. The boyfriend has already requested that I make them again, asking only that I kick up the heat a little next time.
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from Taste of Home
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
3/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
8 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can of diced green chiles
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the first six ingredients to a boil. Add half of the can of green chiles. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce to see if it has enough spice for you, add a little more chili powder if you want a kick.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, monterey jack cheese and 3/4 cups shredded cheddar and add the remaining green chiles. Add a little salt, pepper and chili powder to the mixture. Add the diced or shredded chicken and mix until combined.
Laddle a little of the sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish (enough to coat the bottom of the pan). Begin assembling the tortillas. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the center of each tortilla. Add about tablespoon of sauce and roll the enchilada. Place the enchiladas into the baking dish with the seam down. Laddle the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.
Top with additional sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce or black olives.
