(My version of) Enchiladas

So, I doubt that these enchiladas are traditional by any means, but I think they are pretty dang tasty. As a matter of fact, I like them better than almost any restaurant enchiladas. The worcestershire sauce gives the filling a nice flavor. I like to either put a rump roast in the slow cooker, or if I'm short on time, get a whole roasted chicken from the grocery store. Either chicken or beef both work fine, but I have two enchilada rules I must put out there. Number one: tortillas must be corn. Seriously. Flour tortillas get soggy and gross. No one wants that. Number two: meat must be shredded. It's so worth it. Ground beef just doesn't hold a candle to a shredded roast. A little prior planning is so worth it. That is all. Now for the recipe.

Ingredients

2.5 (ish) lbs shredded chicken or beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp fresh minced garlic

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (name brand tastes best)

8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 cups shredded cheese

enchilada sauce

black olives

12 (ish) corn tortillas

oil (optional)


1) Combine shredded meat, garlic, onion, and all seasonings including Worcestershire.

2) Heat tortillas, either in a frying pan with warm oil, or a microwave. Warm tortillas are much easier to roll without breaking.

3) Put some enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and coat your first tortilla with it.

4) Put the shredded meat into the center of the tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, and roll into a tube. Position seam side down in pan.

5) Continue filling the tortillas, adding more enchilada sauce as needed and packing them fairly tightly together.

6) Cover with the remaining enchilada sauce, then cheese, and dot with olives as desired.

7) Bake at 350 degrees for around 25-30 mins.


P.S. -- The 30 mins is sufficient to cook the onion, as long as you don't have huge chunks. No worries about getting a mouth full of uncooked onion here. :-)

White Chicken Enchiladas

So if you haven't seem a theme with the last few recipes I've posted I'm kind of obsessed with the great Pioneer Woman. She has some freaking amazing recipes (granted not all of them, but definitely quite a few!) and I just can't help myself I planned our last menu and grocery trip around her. This is definitely one of the recipes I'm glad I found! I've never really had a white sauce on my enchiladas. My mom usually made a red or green sauce and so does everyone else I know for that matter so I was so interested in trying these. I ended up making them for Cinco de Mayo and OMGoodness were they yummy! You seriously need to try these tonight if possible! they make a whole 9 x 13 pan and I had enough meat for about 14 tortillas so it can feed a few people we had them for dinner that night and then lunch the next day. Even Nathan LOVED these and he ate two alone in one sitting!

Ingredients

• 2-½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
• 2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 12 whole Corn Tortillas
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Picante Sauce (optional)
• Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.
Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.
In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.
Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Red Enchilada Sauce

Makes 2 cups. I make it a day ahead to let the flavors blend. It's a little spicy, so season with red pepper and chili powder to taste! This is my go to enchilada sauce from now on. I generally prefer more sauce on my enchiladas, so I've been stretching this out a little by adding a 10 ounce can of pre made enchilada sauce. It may be cheating, but I think it tastes good. :-)

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup water mixed with beef bouillon
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• seasoning salt to taste
• *5/15/11 edit: 10 oz of canned enchilada sauce
  

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, chili powder, pepper, and cumin. Saute for 3 minutes.
2. Add fresh garlic; saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add salsa, tomato sauce, and beef broth.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Season with seasoned salt to taste.
6. OPTIONAL: Cool and blend smooth with immersion blender or food processor until smooth.
7. OPTIONAL: To stretch this out a little for more saucy enchiladas, stir in a can of pre made sauce to the mix.
   

Adapted from Kittencal's Red Enchilada or Taco Sauce on food.com.