Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

I made it to the East Coast! With all the travelling I've been doing for work I haven't had time for cooking, but this past weekend I made a point to try something new. Since there aren't many Mexican restaurants to satisfy my regular cravings like in Texas, I realized I'll have to learn how to make it myself. A new challenge! I started off with something easy, a basic Mexican dish of enchiladas, pice de gallo, and tomato-based salsa.

I bought most of the fresh ingredient at a local produce stand, which was great. There are tons of them around here. The tomatoes were sweet and juicy, and the jalapenos were very fresh. As a bonus, I also got a basil plant for $2! The hardest ingredient to find was the dried red chile peppers. After going to a (way overpriced) specialty store with no luck, I was shocked to find them at the local Food Lion in the Mexican food section. Score!

RECIPE - Enchiladas

Chicken:

1 lb bonless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 onion

1/2 tomato

1 sprig fresh cilantro

4 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Sauce:

15 dried New Mexico red chile peppers

1/2 tomato, seeded and cut into 1" pieces

1/4 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces

1 clove garlic

2 sprigs fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp dried oregano

12 corn tortillas (6" diameter)

1/4 white onion, minced

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine chicken, tomato, onion, cilantro, and 4 cups of chicken broth. Simmer for 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and cool to room temperature. Shred chicken into thin slivers. Strain the cooking liquid into a measuring cup and reserve for the sauce (need about 3 1/2 cups).

Stem dried chile peppers, tear open, and discard ribs and seeds. Put chile peppers back into large saucepan and cover with 3 cups of the reserved chicken liquid. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened.

Transfer chile peppers and 2 cups chicken liquid into blender or food processor. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and oregano; puree until smooth, sauce should be thick but pourable. Season with salt and pepper. Coat 13x9 baking dish wiht nonstick spray. Pour 1/3 of blended sauce into bottom of baking dish.

Place 2 to 3 tbsp of chicken on each tortilla, sprinkle with several minced onions, and roll into a tube. Arrange enchiladas seam side down in the baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake enchiladas for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Recipes for the pico de gallo and salsa coming next!

Dos Salsas

We made two types of salsa to go with the previously posted Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce. Both were very basic, but both turned out delicious!

Craig was in charge of the pico, and he rocked it. I was very proud. :)

RECIPE - pico de gallo
2 tomatoes, finely chopped 2 jalapeno chile peppers, seeds and ribs removed and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together and chill prior to serving.

RECIPE – ranch-style tomato salsa
4 tomatoes
1 -3 jalapeno chile peppers ( I used 1 for a mild+ heat), cut in half with seeds and ribs removed
1 large onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3-4 tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper

Preheat broiler on high. Place tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, and garlic on broiler pan and broil vegetables 4" from heat, 3-4 minutes on each side. The veggies are done when: The tomatoes are cracked and blackened, the jalapenos are be blistered with black spots, the onions are soft and blackened on the edges, the garlic is softened but NOT burned.

For a less runny salsa, squeeze the juice out of the tomatoes when taking them off the broiler pan.

In a food processor, combine jalapenos, onions, and garlic; pulse to a coarse paste. Add tomatoes, cilantro, 3 tbsp lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Process briefly to combine. Transfer to medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Season more with salt, pepper and lime juice if needed according to taste. Bring in for coworkers to enjoy. Serve warm or chilled with tortilla chips.

Mexican Casserole

This is a healthy way to satisfy a craving for Mexican enchiladas. I liked all the added vegetables, it made the dish hearty and added more texture than just tortillas and meat like in most restaurant enchilada dishes. Jarred chunky-style salsa could be used in this recipe to save time, but I had enough time to make my previously posted salsa which tasted even better. I couldn't find green enchilada sauce, so I used the red sauce instead. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch!

RECIPE:

2 cups salsa

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

1 zucchini, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

10 oz can green chile enchilada sauce

4 oz can chopped green chiles

12 6" corn tortillas

1-2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, corn, zucchini, garlic, bell pepper and saute for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, enchilada sauce, green chiles and saute 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Spread 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange 6 tortillas over salsa. Spoon 1/2 chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layers, starting with remaining 6tortillas and ending with cheese. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 8 servings (per serving: 331 cals, 12g fat, 31 g carbs, 26g protein).