Mmmm! Unapologetically Messy, Friday Night Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas

My enchiladas are never pretty. They’re cheesy and bubbling from the oven and gooey and messy. But pretty? Nope. I felt bad for a while — all the pictures of the nice and neat rolled tortillas, being plated still in their cylindrical, pristine shape made me feel lacking in some way. I’m sure it’s possible to achieve this perfect look by baking them separately, each serving in its own dish (too lazy!). Or, perhaps cut down on the sauce and cheese so that each rolled tortilla is easily identifiable and thus can be removed nicely from the baking dish. Uh, no.

See, my enchiladas never come out of the baking dish in a way that’ll make for a pretty picture and I’ve decided that I’m okay with that. Because they’re really, really good. Add a margarita or two, some black beans and perhaps even some guacamole and chips and I’m in heaven.

Messy, Gooey, Garlic Chicken Enchiladas
2 chicken breasts, extra fat trimmed off
container chicken stock
1/4 onion
8 – 10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp or so of Mexican seasoning or a few shakes of hot sauce or something to give it a bit of a kick (this last time, I used a spoonful of concentrated mole sauce in a jar — Trader Joe’s had/has a surprisingly good product)
1 lime
handful of cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled & diced
3/4 onion and a small zucchini, diced and sautéed until soft

6 corn tortillas

Enchilada sauce (you can either make your own or buy a jar). Hatch green chile enchilada sauce is very good and what I have been using lately.

Shredded cheese — a combination is works well. This last time I used cheddar and smoked jalapeno gouda.

Garnishes: Sliced tomato, olives, diced, raw onion, more diced jalapeno, etc.

The steps to a non-photogenic (yet very tasty) dinner:
The first thing I do is sauté the onion and zucchini (or whatever vegetables I have on hand). These I set aside when done.

Next, fill a stock pot up with the container of chicken stock, 1/4 raw onion, the garlic cloves and Mexican seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add chicken and simmer until it’s done, around 15 minutes or so. Strain out the liquid into a container to save the leftover stock. Discard the onion. Set the chicken and garlic cloves aside to cool.

While waiting for the chicken to finish, get a pan going over high heat. Heat the tortillas separately, on each side so that they are softer and easier to work with. I usually let them get a little color and blister a bit. I keep mine warm in a tin foil packet until I am ready for them.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it up and add the cooked garlic cloves, cilantro, salt & pepper, roasted jalapeno and sautéed vegetables. Add the juice of half the lime. Taste. Add more lime juice if desired and season with salt and pepper as needed.

shredded chicken

Prepare your baking dish. I spoon a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish to just coat lightly. Take a tortilla, spread a little sauce on it, then add some of chicken and a small amount of cheese.

Pre-enchilada

Roll the tortilla up and place in dish. Do this five more times. Take any extra chicken filling and add to the leftover stock. Continue to set this aside.* Cover the enchiladas generously with sauce. Next, the cheese. Do not be shy. It’s not like you eat enchiladas every night — go a little crazy with the cheese if you want. Top with some garnishes. Tomato slices are good, so are black olives and diced onion, or even more diced jalapeno if you have some.

Pre-Oven

Bake in a 400 degree oven, until the cheese melts and starts to brown a bit and everything gets all bubbly. Start checking after 20 minutes — feel free to go for 40 minutes. Remove and let sit at least five minutes.

Make a pitcher of margaritas. Taste to make sure they’re okay. You never know!

Then, do the best you can to get two enchiladas out and onto a plate. Serve with black beans, corn, more cilantro, sour cream and chips. Eat and drink and laugh and watch Battlestar Galactica and be happy because it’s the weekend.

Enchilada dinner

* So, the stock and leftover filling? Chicken tortilla soup! I either store it in the fridge to make later that week or pop it in the freezer if I think I’m not going to get to it until later. This is actually why I cook the chicken in the stock to begin with, so I can use all of that for soup later on. Just reheat it all, add more veggies like frozen corn, sautéed onion, bell pepper and maybe some black beans. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Simmer awhile and serve with diced avocado, shredded cheese and fried tortilla strips on top. Yum!

Messy enchilada-makers unite!

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