Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

Some people may think it sacrilege that I'm even bothering to post an enchilada recipe if I'm not going to include a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce. Sorry. You'll have to seek that out on another blog. I am not Mexican, so I feel like I can get away with this. I do know people who've told me they have great enchilada sauce recipes, but they have yet to hand one over for me to try out. So, I will continue to use canned. 
Now that I think of it, one time that I did have enchiladas made my an actual Mexican woman IN Mexico, she used canned sauce. Uh-huh. And they were delish. Those were cheese enchiladas, which I will have to post another time. Today it's chicken enchiladas because I'm visiting my parents' house, and my mom thought it was time for a chicken dish. So chicken enchiladas it was. 
Since my husband prefers flour tortillas, and I like corn (which are more traditional for enchiladas--I do know that much), I made some of these with flour and some with corn tortillas. Either way, they are prepared the same.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 3 medium chicken breasts (you can also use 4 cups precooked chicken, shredded)
• salt & pepper
• 12 corn tortillas or small taco sized flour tortillas (if you use larger flour tortillas, you'll use fewer)
• canola oil
• 1 large can (28 oz.) red enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas mild & it was plenty spicy)
• 1 chicken bullion cube or 1/2 tablespoon powdered chicken bullion
• 2 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded jack cheese
• 2 green onions, sliced

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Salt and pepper chicken breasts all over & place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cool enough so you can handle it. Remove skin if it still has it and shred the meat with your fingers or a couple of forks. Set chicken aside.
In a frying pan, heat about 1/4 inch of canola oil. Very briefly fry each tortilla on both sides--just gently place a tortilla in; with metal tongs immediately flip to other side, just long enough to wet it with the oil; and then carefully remove to a plate or pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (Note: if you want to lighten the recipe up, you can skip the quick fry, but you need to make sure to use very fresh, pliable tortillas. I don't think they'll taste quite as good, but then you won't have to live with the extra calories.)
Drain any remaining oil from the pan and carefully add enchilada sauce and chicken bullion. Simmer over low heat until bullion is incorporated and sauce is heated through.
Spray a 9"x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully dip one tortilla into the enchilada sauce, coating both sides with sauce. Place in bottom of pan. Place about 3-4 tablespoons of chicken and 2 tablespoons of cheese across the center of the wet tortilla. Fold one side over the meat/cheese and roll into a tube. Slide the rolled enchilada to one end of the pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients. You will probably have to place some enchiladas perpendicular to the others in the pan to fit them all in. (I usually have to wrap one up into a squarish shape to fit it all in.)
Top with remaining sauce and then the cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges. Remove from oven, sprinkle with green onion slices, and serve.
Makes about 7-8 servings.