Chicken Enchiladas

Before I get into my story, I just have to say that I think the name of this recipe should be changed to "OHMYGODTHESEAREAMAZING Chicken Enchiladas".

Have you all heard of Pinterest before? If not, you need to stop what you're doing (finish reading my blog first) and check out this website! It is the best website ever! I have just recently been introduced to it and am completely addicted to it now. It is basically an image-based website where people share ideas and things that interest them. You have different "boards" and you "pin" your images with a description, etc. There are a lot of neat craft ideas and DIY projects on there, but there is also SOOOOOO many amazing recipe ideas!!! Holy cow! I could spend hours just browsing through all of the amazing food posts. One really cool thing about this website is that it has led me to other people's food blogs, which is where I got this recipe. Some random person that I don't even know pinned a picture of these chicken enchiladas with a fantastic review and a link to the food blog where they got it from. I'm so happy I found this!

These chicken enchiladas are phenomenal. I am by NO means anything that even closely resembles an expert chef and I don't like to brag, but you can't find in a restaurant what I made last night! These things were amazing!

It is a very involved recipe. Very involved. But TOTALLY worth it! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time. I think I got started about 5:20pm and it was about 6:45pm by the time the enchiladas were ready to go in the oven to bake. But it was fun! Luckily we had the yummy 5-Layer Mexican Dip to snack on. :-)

The recipe is very descriptive, so as long as you follow it carefully then there isn't too much explaining to do. One thing I did different was cook the chicken separate first and then let it sit in the sauce for about 10 minutes so that all the flavors and juices could mix together. I have a bad paranoia about chicken not being cooked all the way, and I just didn't trust that the chicken would fully cook simply by sitting in the simmering sauce for 12-20 minutes. I'm sure it would have been fine, but I decided to do that part a little different.

Also, the mixture is supposed to produce enough to fill 12 (6-inch) tortillas with 1/3 cup of the mixture, but I only got 8 tortillas out of that. That ended up being just fine because I only needed 8 anyways, but I'm not sure if I just didn't have enough chicken or what. Also, I didn't realize how much chili powder the recipe called for before I started cooking, so I ended up not having enough. :-( So sad. Obviously, the dish still turned out great, but it was missing about 2 tbsp of chili powder. Lesson learned - check your spices before you go grocery shopping and start cooking!!

Again, just give yourself enough time and follow the recipe carefully and you will produce the best chicken enchiladas you have ever had! Also make sure to check out Pinterest! You have to have an invite to join, so if you're interested then just let me know and I can email you an invitation. :-)

Chicken Enchiladas
Pink Parsley Food Blog

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sugar
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
cooking spray
salt and ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.
3. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (the thickest part reaches 160°F), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.
4. Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
6. Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
7. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don't like the crunch).
8. Reduce heat to 400°F. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.
9. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
10. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.