Chicken Enchiladas

I don't claim this recipe to be an authentic Mexican enchilada recipe,

I just claim this to be delicious.

I'm not quite sure how this recipe came to be. Probably mixing and matching recipes, and incorporating what I liked best when I'd order enchiladas at restaurants.

I don't really know what makes an enchilada "authentic."

But like I said...it's delicious.

I made 14 enchiladas with this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 skinless chicken breasts

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

corn tortillas

1 TBS cumin powder, or 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds

1 28 oz. can each red & green enchilada sauce (I can never decided which to get, so I started making enchiladas with both and I love it! You can choose red or green.)

1 can chopped green chiles

1/2 jalapeno (the more seeds you remove, the less spicy it will become)

1/2 cup chopped green onion (I only had white onions this time and it was still good)

1 cup chopped cilantro PLUS 2 TBS for garnish (I used way more because we LOVE cilantro!)

Sour cream

First:

Put chicken in pot, cover with enough chicken broth, or mixture of broth and water, and cover. Cook on med-high until chicken is no longer pink.

^^This keeps your chicken juicy and gives it a delicious flavor.^^

When chicken is done, remove from pot and let cool. I stick mine in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile...

While chicken is cooking, do your chopping if you haven't yet. In a pan with high sides, sauté your onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in olive oil until tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add cumin and sauté for 1 more minute.

(Trying to get picture to rotate...it's not cooperating.)

Then...

Pour half of each can of enchilada sauce into pan with vegetables. Stir until combined. Heat on low.

Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F...

Shred your chicken. Some people will say use two forks, I say use two hands. It's so much faster. (Just make sure your hands are clean and the chicken is cool enough.)

Add shredded chicken and drained can of green chiles to sauce.

Next...

Spoon the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a few tablespoons of sauce.

Find a flat dish that's deep enough for the rest of the sauce, and wide enough to dip a tortilla.

Fill with remaining enchilada sauce.

Heat in microwave for 2 minutes.

Now it gets messy!

Dip each tortilla in the bowl of warm sauce until completely coated.

Spoon chicken mixture onto middle of tortilla.

(another one that won't rotate...I'll be working on that.)

Sprinkle Mexican blend cheese onto mixture.

Carefully fold tortilla and place folded side down. Don't worry if it tears a bit.

(I say this because my very first one tore a bit.)

Repeat until pan is filled. I fit 9 in this pan, and 5 in a smaller one.

Pour any remaining sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until tortillas are soft and cheese is melted. Garnish with black olives, leftover cilantro, and sour cream if desired.

Serve these with rice and beans, and you're set!