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Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
Spiced rubbed chicken shredded with peppers, onions, and cheese. Wrapped in a corn tortilla topped with green enchilada sauce.
Enchiladas are some of my favorite things to make. They require a little planning, some organization, and time. But they totally pay off in the end.
Generally rolled with beans, chicken, or beef they are tightly packed in corn tortillas and smothered in green or red sauce and handfuls of cheese. Toss together some fresh Pico, rice, and beans and you’ll have meals for a couple of days.
For my enchiladas, I put together a smoky fresh spice blend featuring peppery annatto seeds and pequin peppers. I simmer them with peppers and onions till they are fork-tender.
From there the labor comes in with the facilitating and rolling pans of the enchiladas. Believe me, the roll of the last one is so sweet, especially if it fits in the pan perfectly.
Tossed in sauce and baked till bubbly these are the perfect weeknight dinner or lunch. Check out my tips and tricks below for the best chicken and cheese enchiladas. Try this recipe out and let me know what you think.
TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST CHICKEN AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS
canned or fresh green sauce: use whatever green enchilada sauce you’d like. enchiladas can be kind of a task so skipping making the fresh green sauce is understandable whether it’s canned or fresh from a meat market or homemade use the green sauce you like.
green sauce: some people like enchiladas softer and saucier. these enchiladas are firmer and not too saucy. if you like a saucier enchilada drizzle on more sauce at the same time you top with shredded cheese.
topping with cheese: i hold out on topping my enchiladas with cheese. i like to give the tortilla a chance to firm up more to give them a better texture. I finish with cheese then bake it till it’s melted.
shredding the chicken: you’ll know the chicken is done when it starts to shred on its own. two forks should do the trick. don’t waste the liquid in the pot once the chicken is cooked. remove the lid and boil on high till the majority of the liquid is reduced. shred the chicken after the liquid is reduced not before.
the prep: enchiladas work better in a sequence. it gets it over with faster. there can be a lot of steps. have the tortillas cooked and ready to go into the sauce. the chicken and cheese are shredded and placed into a container that you won’t mind getting dirty. so if you’re using bagged cheese place it all together in a bowl. and the pan ready to receive the rolled enchiladas. (i roll them in the pan I’m going to bake them in)
SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO:
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Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Chicken Breast
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 1 White Onion
- 1/2 Bunch Cilantro
- 2Tb Powder Chicken Bouillon
- 6c Water
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 10 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 20oz Green Enchilada Sauce
- 6oz Canned Green Chilis, diced
- Canola Oil
- 30 Corn tortillas
- 4c Oaxaca Cheese
- 3c Cheddar Cheese, grated
- SPICE RUB
- 2tsp Annatto Seeds, whole
- 1Tb Pequin Peppers, whole
- 1Tb Garlic Powder
- 1Tb Black Pepper
- 2tsp Salt
- 2tsp Cumin
- 1Tb Smoked Paprika
- 2tsp Minced Onions, dried
INSTRUCTIONS
- To make spice blend all ingredients listed under spice rub in a coffee grinder till its in a fine powder.
- Pour over the chicken and rub.
- In a hot Dutch oven add in canola oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.
- Place chicken in the pan. Sear on both sides till the its a deep brown for about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and add in onions and peppers.
- Brown the onions and peppers for about 5 minutes till color has formed and they have slightly softened.
- Place the chicken back in the pan. Add in bay leaves, bouillon, and garlic.
- Cover with water bring to a boil then simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Cover the pot.
- Once the chicken is pull apart ready remove the lid and turn the pot to high to remove the excess liquid.
- Boil for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.
- Shred the chicken and let it cool for 15 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooling. Heat cooking oil in a pan and cook the corn tortillas for 20 seconds. Remove from the pan, place on a separate plate stacking them one on top of the other.
- Let the tortillas cool.
- Remove the excess cooking oil from the pan and add in green sauce and diced chilis(pan doesn’t need to be hot at this point)
- Prepare your baking pan and roll station.
- Once the chicken and tortillas are cool enough to handle start rolling enchiladas.
- Run the tortillas through the green sauce, place in baking dish, fill with chicken and cheeses then roll.
- Tightly place the rolled enchiladas together.
- Once the pan is filled. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for another 5 minutes till the cheese is melted.
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