Chicken Enchiladas

Mmmm.Chicken Enchiladas. So good and so easy. My recipe calls for 2 cups of chicken breast, cooked and cubed. So, first off you’ll want to cook the chicken. If you're following my meal plan, then you’ve noticed that tomorrow night I’m serving Chicken Pot Pie. That recipe calls for 1 lb. of cooked, cubed chicken breast. See where I’m going here? Cook ahead! The quickest and easiest way for me to cook chicken breast for recipes is to boil enough water to cover the chicken. Then I trim the chicken breasts and cut them into similar-sized large pieces. I usually cut breasts in half. You want them to all cook at the same rate, hence the uniformity in size. Once that water is boiling, I carefully (unless you like to be splashed with boiling water) drop..maybe a better word here is "slide" the chicken into the pot and cook for about 10 minutes. This is also known as poaching and can be done in broth or other flavored liquids. Once cooked, I check for doneness. When the chicken's juices run clear it's a sign that it is ready. Then drain off the water and cool the chicken to room temperature for easy handling.

















Set aside 1 lb. for tomorrow’s Chicken Pot Pie





















Now you’re ready to cut or shred. Although this recipe calls for cubed chicken, some prefer it shredded. Since I happen to have some cooked chicken and my cutting board out, I thought I’d throw in a quick shredding lesson for ya’ll. To shred, you’ll need 2 forks. With one in each hand, put their tines close together and sink those forks into the meat. Now pull them away from each other, still applying pressure. See, it’s shredding. Now repeat, only faster. : )

















Or you can cube it with your knife.

















Like I said before, since I’ve already got the cutting board and knife out, once I've got my 2 cups for the enchiladas, I’ll go ahead and cut up the rest of the chicken. Just bag it and refrigerate until needed for your pot pie. Less dishes and faster prep on tomorrow's dinner.

I actually cooked even more chicken than I needed for both recipes, so I cut that up too and I’ll use the extra in chicken salad for our lunch this week. By "our" I mean "my" lunch. No one else here cares for chicken salad.

Okay, enough rambling about the chicken! Here is the enchilada recipe:

Chicken Enchiladas
8- 10 in. tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar
Filling:
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
½ of a 4 oz. can diced green chilies (save the other half)
½ cup of your favorite salsa
Stir together. Spoon 1/3 cup filling onto each tortilla. Fold ends in and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.




Sauce:
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
2 ½ cup chicken broth
1 t. dried coriander
2 oz. diced green chilis

In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add 2 ½ cups broth. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in coriander and the remaining 2 oz. of green chilies.

















Pour the sauce over the enchiladas. Top with 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Here they are plated up with Spanish rice (from a packet...just add water and cook) and Cheesy Beans- 1 can of refried beans heated with 1/2 cup salsa, some chopped onion, and topped with Jack or Cheddar cheese.

















Muy Bien!