Chicken Enchiladas

I know I'm posting late...sorry about that. Kiddo comes first! =) Remember the brown rice and black beans I posted Friday? They were the side dish to these awesome Chicken Enchiladas...again from Annie's Eats. 

I have been wanting to make enchiladas for a very long time. I love Mexican food, but I have never ordered a chicken enchilada. I always get the beef. But, my husband LOVES chicken...I mean L.O.V.E.S. He could eat grilled chicken every day for the rest of his life, and be okay with it. But me, I can't eat it the same way every day. So this was a great way to change it up a bit. Enchiladas are a lot easier that I thought they would be. Though they do take some time, but the homemade enchilada sauce is totally worth the time and all the dishes it dirties. I promise. No use for that canned or bottled stuff anymore. Way too easy not to make. Everything was fine except for one thing...which honestly, if you're not OCD like me, wouldn't matter. I don't know if I didn't warm up the tortillas enough or not but, they were cracking on me. Not when I rolled them up and put them in the pan, but when they came out of the oven the first time, a couple of them had come open on top. Nothing a little enchilada sauce and cheese can't fix. Right? I really hope y'all try this dish out. It is REALLY good. Even lil man loved it. (I cut the spicy stuff in half so he could have some, and it was perfect.) Hubby said to add it to the recipe book. Sounds like a winner in my book. Enjoy!!

(I know the pictures are kinda craptastic, but they were done at night...sorry!)

INGREDIENTS 

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine - I used 1. 
1 tsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp.  granulated sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped - I used just a regular, medium sized tomato.
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

Combine the onion, jalapeno and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds.  Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato.  Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer), about 12-20 minutes. (Make sure you check for doneness, because my chicken took almost 25 minutes.) Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible.  Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside.  Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture.  Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the cilantro.  Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Oil a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.  Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable.  Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla.  Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down.  Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray.  Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F.  Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce oven the top.  Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned.  Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Source: Annie's Eats

Linked up to:

Not JUST A Housewife