Chicken Enchiladas (From Southern Living)

Submitted by quikgourmet

"A fresh offering of this popular dish which I've slightly adapted to shorten the prep time and allow for it to be made ahead. Makes a beautiful presentation!"

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 7

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced (or diced if you prefer smaller pieces of onion)
• 10 ounces precooked chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces (southwestern flavor, if available)
• 1⁄2 cup roasted red pepper, diced
• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed
• 4 (4 1/2 ounce) cans diced green chilies, drained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1⁄2 cup salsa
• 7 (7 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

directions

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and cook 20 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to low; add chopped chicken, roasted pepper, and cream cheese. Stir until combined; set aside.
2. Pulse chiles and next 5 ingredients in blender or food processor several times until combined.
3. Bring chile mixture and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat; cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. (Mixture should be the consistency of a thin gravy.) Remove from heat and stir in salsa.
4. Spread one half of the chile mixture on bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish.
5. Spoon chicken mixture evenly down center of each tortilla; roll up and place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining chile mixture, spreading to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Reviews

[Lauri]

We've been using this recipe from Southern Living since it was published in 2003 .... our original clipping is well worn and we're glad to find it here! Begin with TWO thinly sliced onions; you really want to lightly caramelize them, and they'll reduce quite a bit. For the chicken, we've used both chopped rotisserie chicken and finely shredded canned chicken with excellent results. It all depends on what you have on hand and how much time you have. The mixture is sufficient to fill 10 tortillas; they're better if not overstuffed. If you want to make the enchiladas ahead of time, keep the filled tortillas and the sauce completely separate until time to bake ... don't even put the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. These freeze beautifully; again, just freeze the filled tortillas and sauce separately. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then assemble and add cheese right before baking. (We only put about a third of the sauce on the bottom of the dish, just enough to prevent sticking. You need enough sauce on top to keep it from being dry; the excess will go to the bottom anyway.) We like a combination of shredded cheddar and monterrey jack, and possibly just a touch of shredded asiago. Add a tossed salad with tomato and avocado and a pitcher of margaritas, and you've got an instant party! Enjoy!