Chicken Enchiladas

I love burritos, enchiladas, and tacos. And I love these enchiladas. Or burritos. Or whatever you want to call them. Taste bud satisfyingly delicious! I ended up making the whole batch and freezing them so later on I'm able to put them in the fridge in the morning, and be able to bake them just until heated through later on. Minimal mess. Yay for minimal mess!!!

These are very flavorful and easy to make. It's another recipe where you can use whatever you have on hand, substituting things, and adding whatever you would like. I really enjoyed the textures with this and how many 'layers' of heat, using different types of spices. The picture below doesn't reflect it, but just after I pulled the enchilada out of the oven, I threw a big handful of cilantro (from the garden!) on top. I am also totally in love with cilantro. And you totally make these tonight!
Mmm...I can't wait to have another one of these!

Chicken Burritos Grande
Printable Recipe
by Perrys' Plate, adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine October 2009

• 2 T oil
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders or breasts cut into strips
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground chipotle chile powder
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree (from 28-oz can. . . the rest goes in the sauce)
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 large (burrito-sized) or 12-15 medium (taco sized) flour tortillas
• 4 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack/cheddar cheese blend, divided
• 1 1/2 cups purchased pico de gallo or 3-4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 Recipe Enchilada Sauce (recipe below), or 3 cups canned enchilada sauce

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Toss just until cooked through, about 5 minutes or so. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until they just begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, and chipotle powder; stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for a minute or so until fully incorporated and heated through. Add crushed tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, coarsely shred chicken and add to sauce. Simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste filling and season with salt and pepper if needed. TIP: Filling can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and store. Rewarm before continuing.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Stir cilantro into warm filling.
4. (I added approximate measurements I used for the burrito filling in parenthesis for small tortillas.) Place a tortilla on your work surface, then sprinkle 1/2 cup (2-3 T) cheese down the center of tortilla, leaving 2-inches of space around the edges. Sprinkle a 1/4 cup (2 T) pico de gallo, then spoon 3/4 cup (1/3-1/2 cup) chicken filling atop the cheese and tomatoes. Add a few spinach leaves on top. Fold the top and bottom of tortilla over filling, then fold 1 side over and roll burrito over to enclose filling. Transfer, seam side down, to a large (15x10x2 or 13x9x2) baking dish. (You'll need two dishes if your burritos are small.) Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
5. Spoon 1/4 cup enchilada sauce over each burrito. (I like to leave the edges of the burritos bare so they crisp up a little in the oven.) Sprinkle remaining cheese over burritos and bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is melty, about 15 minutes. Serve with remaining enchilada sauce.
   

Makes 6 large or 12-14 small burritos.


Enchilada Sauce
Printable Recipe
by Perrys' Plate, adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine October 2009

• 3 T oil
• 3 T chili powder
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree (the rest of the 28-oz can used above)
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 T tomato paste

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chili powder, garlic, and oregano; stir for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sauce thickens slightly and flavors have blended, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes about 3 cups. TIP: This can also be done a couple of days ahead of time.