Chicken EnchiladasAdapted from America's Test Kitchen and seen on Smells like Home
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 can of green chiles,
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon of New Mexican Chili Powder
1/2 tablespoon of Ancho Chili Powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 cup water
Kosher salt and pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups shredded mixed monterey & cheddar cheese, divided
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup minced fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup green onions, diced
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the onion, green chiles, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large sauté pan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and jalapeños have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili-ancho-new mexican powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
2. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside to cool. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the onions to extract as much liquid as possible. Place onion mixture in a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a small bowl, set aside 1 tablespoon of the tomato & green onion for garnish and set aside.
4.Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Add to the bowl along with the onion mixture. Add in 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, the black beans, tomatoes & green onions and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
5.Stack and wrap the tortillas in a moist paper towel, place on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, about 45 seconds. Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean work surface. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them seam-side down in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
6.Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes until the tortillas are starting to slightly brown on the top. (If you don’t like a bit of crunch in your enchiladas, just skip this step completely)
7.Reduce oven temperature to 400. Remove enchiladas from oven and pour remaining sauce over to coat them thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese down the center of the enchiladas. Garnish with the tomato & green onion mixture. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
8.Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro.
Review: Best enchiladas I've ever had...and it went perfectly with the lime-cilantro rice that I paired it with. That will be the next post, because that rice was awesome, too!
