I made a batch of enchiladas yesterday. They used to be a somewhat regular item on my menu, but in my last apartment in Maryland I didn’t have space for a 9×13 pan in my convection oven, and never ended up making them. I got a craving to get back into it, and coupled my new impressive kitchen with a trip to Whole Foods, and made myself some excellent chicken enchiladas.

I used a combination of recipes from Simply Recipes and Food Network. The Food Network recipe had the good idea of seasoning the chicken with cumin and garlic powder, and an easy way of heating up the tortillas (hint: use an appliance), but it was a little too complicated for my style. Elise’s recipe at Simply Recipes was fairly no-nonsense, and a little closer to how I’ve done it in the past.

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion, chopped (about a cup)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • Vegetable oil
  • 2 small cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can enchilada sauce (or more if you need it)
  • 10 white flour tortillas
  • 1 pound chicken
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin and garlic powder. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
  2. Cook onions with a little oil. After a minute or two, add bell pepper, then garlic.
  3. While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken by hand
  4. Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable.
  5. Assemble the enchiladas. Coat the bottom of a 9×13 dish with a thin layer of enchilada sauce. Add a couple spoonfuls of enchilada sauch to a tortilla, then some chicken, then some vegetables. Wrap and place in dish. Repeat in a single layer until dish is full.
  6. Cover enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce. Don’t leave any tortilla surface bare, or it might get crispy in the oven. Sprinkle cheese in a thick layer over enchiladas.
  7. Cook at 350 for until cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes

This was one of the more successful times I’ve made enchiladas, I was definitely happy with this recipe and would do it again. Up next: Heather’s Quinoa, with roasted tomatoes, corn, and chicken.