The Luckiest Chicken Enchiladas Ever

Stumbled upon a fabulous recipe for White Chicken Enchiladas by Ree over at The Pioneer Woman blog. If you have never read her blog you must start. It’s a great source of recipes, photography, insights, and just plain common sense.

In one of my other parallel lives I cook for a race team. This past weekend I made the enchiladas and put them on the BBQ’s top shelf to bake. Then I had to go off and photograph a press conference our team was involved in that took way longer than I had anticipated. By the time I had rushed back to the BBQ I knew I had 3 pans of burnt up enchiladas and a lot of hungry people. I threw open the lid and low and behold the propane tank had run out at just the exactly right moment. I had 3 pans of the most perfectly cooked, still warm enchiladas you could imagine.

I just love it when the gods smile on you!

White Chicken Enchiladas

Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2-½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
• 2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 12 whole Corn Tortillas
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
• Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
• Picante Sauce (optional)
• Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and sauté for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Faint. Repeat as needed.

Technorati Tags: Cassaroles,Chicken Enchiladas,The Pioneer Woman