Chicken Enchiladas

 Ingredients:

1 recipe Mexican-flavored chicken (This is a slow-cooker recipe. Plan ahead!)

    1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, or a combination of both

    1 tsp cumin

    1/2 tsp garlic powder

    1/2  tsp smoked paprika

    1/2 tsp chili powder

    1 small onion, peeled and quartered

    1/2 small can diced chilis

    1 cup salsa (I use this easy Restaurant Style Salsa, but your favorite salsa will work great, too.)

    

12-14 corn tortillas

3 cups grated queso Chihuahua cheese

2 14 oz cans enchilada sauce (I use one can of hot and one of mild because BALANCE)

For the Mexican-flavored chicken: 

Wash and pat chicken dry and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add salt and pepper, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder on top of chicken.  Pour chilis over spices, drop in onions. Pour salsa over all and stir lightly with a rubber spatula, just to blend spices into the salsa. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3.  Remove chicken from juices to cool, dice carefully and return to the slow cooker with all of the juices. Stir. 

I use this chicken for enchiladas, tacos, chicken burritos or burrito bowls and as the chicken for Sopa de Pollo. I usually double this recipe and freeze half for later use.

For the enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a greased 8 x 12" casserole pan, spread a couple of tablespoons of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Wrap 5 of the corn tortillas in a moistened but not dripping wet paper towel. Place on a plate and microwave on high for one minute.  This process will render the enchiladas hot and flexible and perfectly stretchy. Using a slotted spoon, drain about 2 tablespoons of chicken and place in the center of one tortilla.  Add one tablespoon of grated cheese. Roll tightly and place seam-side down in pan. Repeat with remaining 4 tortillas. Microwave 5 more tortillas and continue filling pan with enchiladas, pushing them together to pack about 12-14 in the pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce (both cans) over the enchiladas and cover with grated cheese.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and chopped cilantro. 

Full disclosure, when cooked in a casserole as described below, these enchiladas serve more like a casserole than in the individual enchiladas pictured above.  I cooked these two separately so that they would be easily recognizable as enchiladas in the photo.