Chicken Enchiladas will score you points at this year’s Christmas party

By: La Voz Staff

Last week we gave you a receipe for one of the holiday season’s most notable comfort foods, pozole. This week we continue the trend by offering you one our favorite dishes to make for Christmas. Chicken Enchiladas Nuevo Mexico style can seem a bit intimidaing for some but in all honesty it’s simplicity and perfect pairing of chicken, cheese wrapped in corn tortillas smothered in green chile sauce will set all your wories aside this holiday season. 

Ingredients:

• Oil or Manteca
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup diced green chile chopped (roasted Hatch or Pueblo is preferred)
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin divided
• 1 lb chicken breast boneless, skinless
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x13” baking dish.
2. Add oil to a pot over medium heat. Add in onions and saute 4 minutes.
3. Add in garlic and saute an additional 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour and stir well, browning to a light golden.
4. Slowly add in chicken broth, stirring constantly, until a sauce forms.
5. Add in diced green chile, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and salt to taste. Blend, if desired (preferred).
6. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
7. Add in chicken breasts and boil until cooked through, about 20 – 25 minutes.
8. Remove chicken from the pot, shred with two forks, and transfer to a bowl.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste and 1 tsp ground cumin. Stir well.
10. Warm tortillas up in the microwave for 60 seconds, until pliable. You can also lightly oil a comal and warm your tortillas to pliability, keeping them covered with a towel.
11. Add 2 – 3 tbsp of cooked chicken to the center of each tortilla, then top with 1 tbsp of cheese.
12. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
13. Pour green chile sauce over the rolled enchiladas (about a cup, but you can adjust to your preferences).
14. Top with remaining shredded cheese.
15. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Garnishment:

Garnishing your enchiladas is completely up to you. They can be eaten shortly after baking just the way they are or you can add chopped green onion with sour cream and a couple sprigs of cilantro and or queso fresco.