The Healthy My Ass Cookbook

Chicken Enchiladas

A cheesy chicken and onion mixture wrapped in corn tortillas and covered in sauce.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Place the Chicken Pieces in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and boil until completely cooked and tender, 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the pieces.  Remove the pot from the heat and leave the chicken in the water until cooled enough to hold in your hands.  Remove and discard the skin, shred the chicken meat into strings, discarding the bones.  You can do this step a day ahead and refrigerate the shredded chicken in a sealed plastic bag or container to keep it from drying out.

If your tortillas are refrigerated, remove them to reach room temperature.

Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl.  Shred the Longhorn Cheese and place a little less than half (3/8) of it in the large bowl leaving the remainder aside covered.  Chop the Onion, slice the Green Onions and toss to combine both with the shredded chicken and cheese.  Set aside.

Grease a 13x9" 3 quart casserole dish.  Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Using two shallow pans or skillets, wide enough to hold a tortilla lying flat, heat on low the 3/4 cup of Lard in one, and in the other the Enchilada Sauce.  Just warm these hot enough that you can tolerate sticking your fingers into them without harming yourself, because you are likely to end up using your fingers.

With each Corn Tortilla, warm it first by submerging it for 15 seconds or so in the warm lard, then drain and submerge again for 10 seconds or so in the warm enchilada sauce.  Drain and lay flat on a plate or pie pan.  I've tried doing this with tongs but have had better luck with fewer torn using my fingers.  Remove about 1/2 packed cup of the chicken mixture, press into a log of uniform diameter the length of the tortilla, center on the tortilla then wrap the sides of the tortilla around it tightly.  Place seam side down along the long side of the greased casserole, two to a row.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  As you gain experience, you'll likely add a new tortilla to the lard when you move one to the sauce and likewise when you move one from the sauce to the pie pan for filling.  Plan to make a mess, there is no getting around it.

If there is any chicken mixture remaining, either fill any gaps in the pan with it, or if none, sprinkle over the top of the enchiladas.  Cover evenly with the remaining shredded cheese.  Drizzle the Whipping Cream over all, followed by the remaining enchilada sauce over all.

Bake for 30 minutes or longer if not bubbly.  Remove from the oven and cool 15 minutes before serving.

Notes:

I use a variety of chicken pieces, breasts, thighs and legs, and boil them bone in and skin on. If you use boneless and skinless pieces, although they will cook faster, they will make for drier and less tasty enchiladas.  If you use all breasts, your enchiladas will be dry but allowing them to cool in the water will help them to absorb some of the water.

If you can not find longhorn cheese, you can substitute colby or a mild cheddar, whichever is higher in fat content.  Monterey Jack or a combination also works.

I use red enchilada sauce because that is how Liz made them, but I'm tempted to try green enchilada sauce one of these days.  Whether or not you use mild, medium, hot or some combination of sauce is a matter of taste.