Chicken enchilada

Chicken enchilada

This is a seriously tasty dish. If the dinner is chicken enchilada, even my pickiest child will lick the plate clean!!!! A little advanced preparation will keep the enchilada day stress free. You can use store-bought tortillas. But homemade tastes way better. I use this recipe of soft corn tortillas from KAF.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/thin-cornmeal-tortilla-recipe

Bulk cooking chicken saves you a load of time. Cooked chicken is so useful- sandwich, pot pie, burrito, pizza…… I have tried many ways to cook and freeze chicken. Sometimes chicken taste really good immediately after cooking but after freezing, the flavour and texture will change! But this grilled chicken tastes awesome even after freezing. It is the only recipe I use for bulk cooking chicken breast now. 

Marinate Skinless boneless chicken breast with chili powder, salt, chopped garlic cloves, lemon juice and a crushed stock cube. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to grill bring to room temperature. Heat your oven to hottest temperature. Pour olive oil over chicken and coat the pieces. Grill for 30 minutes turning once half way through. Cool and slice thin. Get the chicken and tortilla ready if these are to be homemade. By the way, did you see the YouTube trick to peel garlic? Just put the entire bulb in a big container, close with a tight lid and shake the container for 1 minute and it’s done!!!! It really works!!!

Chili powder is what gives the special ‘Mexican’ flavour. You can easily make it at home. Just combine 4 tbsp. paprika, 2 tbsp. oregano, 1 tbsp. each of cumin powder, garlic powder and cayenne/red chilli powder and 1 ½ tsp onion powder. I double the recipe. 

For the filling, chop onion and chillies.  Heat the oil in a wok. Add the onion and sauté over high heat till they turn translucent. Keep stirring to prevent burning. Add salt and chili powder and sauté for one more minute. Add cooked chicken and let it heat up well. Take off heat and set aside.

In a heavy bottom pan, melt butter. Add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Crush and add the stock cubes. Add the water slowly, stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil. When the sauce thickens up, add the crushed tomatoes and sour cream. Mix well. Season with more salt and pepper if required. Take off heat.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Divide the chicken filling and one cup cheese equally among the tortillas. Roll each tortilla and place seam side down in a 9x13 inch pan. Pour the sauce over. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot!