Best Ever Chicken Enchiladas

Best Ever Chicken Enchiladas
Photo by Greengatephoto.com 

Enchiladas so yummy you'll think they are the best ever! At least that is what my family and friends say, or perhaps it's because we've been eating them since 1986 when I adapted this recipe from our church cookbook. My cousin loves them so much she requests them on her birthday and has asked  me to post the recipe in case she feels like cooking before her next birthday. 

I think the real secret to these enchiladas is the seasoning I use on the chicken.  I came across it several decades ago while visiting relatives in San Antonio,Texas. It's not sold in the Pacific NW where I live, so I have become accustom to stocking up on it or ordering it online. 
www.fiestaspices.com

You'll be happy to know it comes MSG free.  I am such a fan of it I use it in a variety of meat dishes, so don't let the  name fool you, it's not just for fajitas -  at least in my opinion.

COMPLETE RECIPE follows the pictures. 

Sprinkle Fiesta Fajita Seasoning generously

Begin by baking 4 or more chicken breast sprinkled generously with Fiesta Fajita seasoning. ( Always good to have extra baked chicken for later)
While chicken is baking, saute your onions, remove from pan and  make your sauce.

I love this little tool for easily  making sauces lump free.  It's from Pampered Chef and is actually meant to be a drink mixer, but it's my nifty sauce tool.

Once your sauce is made and you've added the onions, green chilies and sour cream  add a layer of sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Remember to  reserve a cup of sauce, then add the chicken to the remaining sauce mixture. Next layer  the tortillas on top of the sauce. About four tortillas, folding to tear and    fit nice and squarely covering all the openings.  ( sorry no pictures of the tortillas folding and tearing)

Next layer is the meat and cheese,  the tortillas again,  meat and cheese.Third layer is tortillas topped off with the one cup of remaining sauce mixed with one cup of salsa.   Last is the  cheese and garnish.

Ready to Bake!

INGREDIENTS:

12 Corn Tortillas

Fiesta  Fajita Seasoning
2 Tbl canola oil
1/3 cup chopped onion ( or half of a medium onion)
3 cups chicken broth

4 Tbl flour

4 Tbl butter
 2  4oz  cans green chili

16 oz sour cream

1 cup salsa

4 cups  chopped chicken meat ( 4 chicken breast)

4- 5 cups grated Colby Jack or Mexican blend cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.Sprinkle chicken generously with Fiesta Fajita seasoning  (Or  Fiesta Chicken Fajita Seasoning)

2.Bake chicken until breast are cooked thoroughly.

3.Sauté onions in canola oil for 2-3 minutes – just enough to soften .  Remove  onions from pan and make sauce.

4.Sauce:  Melt butter over medium heat, add flour stirring constantly till smooth, cook about 2-3 minutes  or till lightly browned.  Slowly add chicken broth, stirring continuously.  Broth will thicken making a nice sauce.

 5.Turn off burner and add  chilis, onion and sour cream. 

6.Spread a thin layer of  sauce over the bottom layer of a 9x 13 pan.
7.  Reserve one cup of sauce.

8. Add your  chopped chicken to the sauce mixture.

9.Make a single layer of tortillas on top of sauce by  folding and  tearing  tortillas to fit into pan ( usually takes about 4).
10. Add a layer of meat sauce
11. then 2 cups of cheese.
12.Another layer of tortillas
13. Remaining meat sauce & 1 cup of cheese
14. Third  layer of tortillas
15.For the top layer of sauce  mix the one cup of reserved sauce with one cup of salsa. Spread on top .

16. Top with about  2 cups of cheese.  Garnish with green onions, sliced olives, or cilantro. 

17.Bake at 375 for  35- 40 minutes .  Until golden and bubbly.

In the summer I use fresh roasted green chili's from the garden.  (More info on that this summer.)

ENJOY! 

 And there you go!  Best Ever Chicken Enchiladas.

PS. I realize that we call these enchiladas but technically it is a casserole. I got tired of rolling up those darn  tortillas many years ago and just started layering them. SO much easier.  Please don't tell my family what real enchiladas look like.  Thanks!

TEXAS BBQ

Texas BBQ Menu

  

Great for large groups as it can be made ahead 
Especially popular with the guys

Slow Roasted BBQ Brisket

Green Chili Rice

Caesar Salad

BBQ Brisket

Purchase a whole brisket with the fat on top. Pat rub on to brisket 4-6 hours before roasting. Overnight is good too. 

Texas Dry Rub

1 T. Salt

6 T. Brown Sugar

2T. Black Pepper

1 T. Lemon Pepper

1 T. Paprika

1 T. Garlic Salt

1 T. Onion powder 

Mix above ingredients in a Ziploc bag, mix well; should be free of lumps. Pat  allover on brisket.

Refrigerate  at least 4-6 hours.  Cook at 325, fat side up  till meat easily shreds.  (For a whole brisket this is usually about 4 hours.)  Drain liquid and let rest till cool enough to handle. trim fat, shred.  I then  like to put it in the fridge overnight with Sweet  Baby Rays BBQ sauce and warm up the next day in a crock pot or 325 oven.  Smells and taste so good.  Great for company because it's made the day before.

Green Chili Rice

Adapted from an old San Antonio Cook Book
Husbands often ask their wives to request this recipe.

Ingredients

 ¼ cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

6 cups freshly cooked rice

3 cups sour cream

11/2 cup cottage cheese

1 large bay leaf, crumbled

3/4 tsp      Teaspoon Salt

1/4   Teaspoon Pepper

3- 4     4 ounce can roasted diced green chilies

3 cups  Grated sharp cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.

Preheat oven to 375

In a skillet saute onion in butter until golden. 

In a large bowl mix onion with hot rice, sour cream, cottage cheese, bay leaf,  green chilies, salt and pepper .Toss lightly to mix.  In a greased 9x 13  baking dish, layer half of the rice mixture.  Sprinkle one cup of cheese. Add the remaining rice mixture and top with cheese.  Bake uncovered  30-35 minutes until hot and bubbly .  Garnish with one or several of the following;  chopped parsley, cilantro, green onions, olives or  bacon bits.  Goes great with BBQ of any kind.

Caesar Salad 
A friends &  family favorite!

Romaine lettuce in bite size pieces

Sliced mushrooms
Croutons
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing
1 cup BEST FOODS Mayonnaise ( light okay)
1/2 cup milk ( nonfat okay)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 T. lemon juice ( fresh squeezed best)
2-3T. fresh minced garlic. ( fresh - not from a jar, for best flavor)
Mix well; add milk if thick

Add the dressing to the romaine, mushrooms and croutons just before serving.  Garnish generously with cheese.

HAWAIIAN LUAU

Hawaiian Luau
 



*Kalua Pig
*Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

These two dishes go great together  as one is salty and the other is just  a little sweet.

Best of all - both can be made a head of time.

Kalua Pig

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound pork butt (or shoulder)
• 2-3 tablespoons Hawaiian salt (may substitute kosher salt)
• 2-3 tablespoons  Mesquite liquid smoke ( I use Stubbs)
• 1 banana leaf ( may substitute 4-5 whole, unpeeled bananas)
• Aluminum foil

*Banana leaves and Hawaiian salt can be found at Asian food stores.

Preparation:

Trim some but not all of the excess fat. Make several shallow long cuts along the roast or pierce liberally with a fork. (This allows the salt and liquid smoke to penetrate the meat.) Rub with salt and liquid smoke. Wrap the roast with banana leaves or in the absence of same, place whole bananas on top of meat . 

Wrap securely in heavy duty aluminum foil.

Roast in a 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes per pound.  Roast fat side up. you will want the internal temp to be 195-200 so the meat is falling apart.
When meat is done,  remove  banana leaves (or bananas), let cool and shred pork.  Reserve the liquid, let cool, remove fat and use to add additional juice to  flavor or moisten  the meat if needed. Reheats well the next day in a crock pot.

 Hawaiian Macaroni Salad


Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
2 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 celery rib, chopped fine
Note: Low-fat milk or mayonnaise will make the dressing too thin.

Serves 8-10

1. Make Dressing. Whisk 1-1/2 cups milk, 1 cup mayonnaise, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper in a bowl.


2. Cook Pasta. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and pasta and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add vinegar and toss until absorbed. Transfer to a bowl. Cool pasta 10 minutes,then stir in dressing until pasta is well coated. Cool completely.


3. Make Salad. Add scallions, carrot, celery, remaining 1/2 cup milk and remaining 1 cup of mayonnaise to pasta mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Serve.