As the cold weather persists, I find myself yearning for warmer climes, and with that, spicier foods. Yes, I could just drive to the local Mexican restaurant and pick up a quick and easy dinner, but really, isn’t it just so much more rewarding to make it yourself? In my humble opinion, yes. As much as I enjoy a good take out meal, in the end, I would much rather dirty every dish I own in order to provide my family with a homemade meal at the end of the day, as I assume you would too.
This meal is one of our favorites, and I must say, even though it is incredibly complicated and challenging, it is well worth the effort: Deliciouso Chicken Enchiladas.
One of the many things I love about this dish is that I always have the ingredients on hand, so it’s always a great stand-by meal. Hubby bring the boss home for dinner unexpectedly? No problem! Kids have friends over after school? Taken care of. No matter what life throws at me, I’m always ready…dinner-wise, at least.
The first step is to cook up some chicken. You only need a couple of cups or so-it goes further than you’d think, so don’t go crazy. You should definitely buy grain fed, all natural chicken, and, if possible, get it from your local butcher. You can’t imagine the superiority of this meat over the processed stuff you get at the grocery store! Yes, it is more expensive, but remember the old adage: you get what you pay for.
Once the meat is cooked, let it cool, then chop into chunks. Throw it into a bowl with a quarter of a cup of finely chopped onions, 1 minced clove of garlic, about a half a teaspoon of cumin, a quarter teaspoon of chili powder, and a half a cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Toss all these delicious ingredients together and you get this:
SPICEY!
Now let’s talk sauce. I prefer a nice white sauce with my enchiladas. I think the classic tomato based sauce, while good, doesn’t compare with this. All you need is a cup of milk, a half a cup of chicken broth, two tablespoons flour, a quarter of a teaspoon of pepper, the juice of half a lime, and another half a cup of that Monterey Jack cheese.
In a medium saucepan you’ll want to whisk together the milk, broth, flour, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to thicken a bit. Be sure to whisk it here and there, because you don’t want a nasty skin to appear. Then whisk in the cheese and the lime juice and viola:
Now the fun begins. Be sure to take your sauce off the heat and start assembling that glorious dinner of yours. Put about a quarter cup of the chicken mixture in a tortilla, then wrap and place into a lightly oiled 9×13 inch baking dish.
Load 'em up!
After all of your tortillas are assembled (this makes 8), pour your white sauce over them and top with chopped chili peppers and cook for 20 minutes (or until the filling is heated through). Top with freshly chopped tomatoes just before serving!
Delish!
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