THE WORLD’S BEST CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
I have been meaning to share this really, really delicious recipe with you for some time now. It’s my original recipe for The World’s Best Chicken Enchiladas. So, what better day than today, Cinco de Mayo, to make this awesome recipe!
I can imagine that to some folks, making homemade enchiladas might seem a little daunting. But, honest-to-goodness this recipe is easy and requires very few ingredients. Pictured below is everything you need.
So, lets make them shall we? The first thing you need is 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Place them in a large skillet, add about an inch of water and sprinkle them generously with salt. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove them from the pan and when the chicken is cooled enough to handle, shred the meat into bite size pieces. Then place the shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl.
Next, grate 2 pounds of Monterey Jack Cheese. Place 2/3rd of the grated cheese in the mixing bowl with the shredded chicken, reserving the other 1/3 of the cheese for use later. This division is not an exact science, eyeball it.
Mince one bunch of green onions or chives. I used chives because they grow abundantly in my kitchen garden. Throw them in the bowl with the cheese & chicken.
Add a 4.25 ounce can of chopped black olives to the bowl along with 1 pint (2 cups) sour cream and a 7 ounce can of diced green chiles.
You will end up with a bowl of yummy ingredients that looks like this. Sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of coarse ground pepper.
Then mix it all up and set it aside while you prepare the tortillas.
I swear by Guerrero brand corn tortillas. They are the best! You will need approximately 12 corn tortillas for this recipe, depending on how full you fill your tortillas. You will need to flash-fry the tortillas to soften them so they are flexible enough to wrap around the chicken enchilada filling without cracking.
Here is how you do that: First get a stack of paper towels ready to blot the tortillas after they are fried. Add about 1/2 inch of corn oil to a small frying and heat it up. Once the oil is good and hot (but not smoking hot) add a tortilla to the oil. Give it only a second or two to start to bubble up, then flip it over and cook for another second or two. Remember, we are only softening the tortillas, not frying them to a crisp. Quickly remove the tortilla from the oil, letting any residue oil drip back into the pan. Place it on a paper towel to blot any excess oil.
Continue frying tortillas until you have softened at least a dozen. If your oil is hot enough and you are doing this properly, you should have almost as much oil left in the frying pan when you are finished as when you started.
You will end up with a nice stack of soft corn tortillas ready for the filling.
In preparation for assembling the chicken enchiladas I make myself an assembly line. You will need a 28 ounce can of Red Enchilada Sauce. I like the “Mild Red Sauce” from Las Palmas. Pour a little enchilada sauce into the bottom of a large baking pan, then pour the rest into a low sided bowl.
Start by dipping a tortilla into the sauce, coating both sides. Place the tortilla in the baking pan and add about 3 tablespoons of filling. Wrap the tortilla around the filling and place it folded-side-down in the baking dish.
Repeat this process until you have used up all of the filling. Now pour any remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas.
Top the enchiladas with the reserved grated Monterey Jack Cheese.
Place the enchiladas in the oven, preheated to 350ºF and bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown.
Serve with a dollop of Guacamole on top.
For my recipe for The World’s Best Guacamole click here.
Now, go make yourself a nice big icy Margarita and celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
CHEERS!
- 3 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Salt
- 2 Pounds Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 Bunch Green Onions or Chives
- 1 - 4.25 Ounce Can Chopped Black Olives
- 1 Pint (2 Cups) Sour Cream
- 1 - 7 Ounce Can Ortega Diced Green Chiles
- 1 Teaspoon Coarse Ground Pepper
- 12 Corn Tortillas
- Corn Oil
- 1 - 28 Ounce Can Red Enchilada Sauce
- Place the chicken breasts in a skillet, add 1 inch water and sprinkle generously with salt. Simmer for 15 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from pan and cool.
- Shred chicken into bite size pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add ⅔rds of the grated Monterey Jack Cheese to the bowl.
- Set the remaining ⅓ of the cheese aside for use later.
- Add the green onions, black olives, sour cream, green chiles and pepper to the bowl and mix to combine.
- Place the chicken mixture in the fridge while preparing the tortillas.
- Put about ½ inch corn oil into a small frying pan.
- Heat oil to hot over medium high heat. Oil is too hot if it begins to smoke.
- Soften tortillas by quickly frying them, 5 seconds on each side.
- Do not let the tortillas get hard and crispy.
- Place fried tortillas between paper towels to blot excess oil.
- Once all of the tortillas are fried you may begin to assemble the enchiladas.
- Pour a small amount of red enchilada sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish.
- Pour the rest of the red enchilada sauce into a low sided bowl.
- One at a time, dip tortillas in the sauce.
- Then place 3 tablespoons of chicken/cheese mixture down the middle of the tortilla.
- Fold in sides of tortilla to form the enchilada.
- Place each enchilada in the baking dish, folded side down.
- Repeat until you use up all of the chicken/cheese filling.
- Line the enchiladas up closely together in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining red sauce over the top of the enchiladas.
- Sprinkle the enchiladas with the reserved grated cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and top is golden brown.
- Serve with a dollop of guacamole on top.
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