Enchiladas, Take Three

I must really love enchiladas. I can't come up with any other excuse for why I've posted three different enchilada recipes in as many months. A few weeks ago you got my Beef Enchilada Casserole recipe, and before that was the Enchiladas Suizas Stacked Casserole recipe. Well this time I went the more traditional route and made actual enchiladas as opposed to a casserole. And I have to say, it may have been my favorite enchilada recipe yet!

I'm pretty sure my love for enchiladas started a long (long) time ago when I was in high school. It was one of a handful of dishes I made on the rare occasion that I cooked. Those enchiladas were decidedly simpler ... just ground beef, a packet of taco seasoning, flour tortillas, canned sauce and cheese ... maybe a little diced onion inside if I got adventurous. They were yummy, but I've come a long way culinary-wise. So here's a slightly more advanced, and way more delicious, enchilada recipe:

Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup canned or frozen corn
1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
6 corn tortillas

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Stack tortillas on a plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from microwave, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside until ready to assemble enchiladas.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and chili powder, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, stir in the chicken, 3/4 cup cheese, corn, 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, and chiles.

Spread the tortillas on a clean counter. Spoon 1/2 cup of the filling down the center of each tortilla. Toightly roll the tortillas around the filling and lay them, seam-side down, in the prepared baking dish.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is completely melted, about 5 minutes longer.


So, as usual, this is a recipe I took from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two. And it happened to come from my favorite "One Big Roast, Three Great Meals" chapter. These enchiladas were actually meant to be made with leftover turkey, but since I haven't made a big roast lately, I bought a rotisserie chicken instead.

I think that rotisserie chickens are one of the greatest shortcuts EVER. Any recipe that calls for shredded or diced chicken should begin with a rotisserie chicken. I used one for my Enchiladas Suizas Casserole, I used one for my Quick Chicken and Cheese Tamales, and I always use one for making chicken salad (which I now have a huge craving for ... the leftovers from this chicken might become lunch later this week!).