Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas normally aren't my choice for Mexican food. 

Why would I waste my time on enchiladas when there are 

fajitas and carnitas and carne guisada?

Well, I've been converted. 

I generally only ever get cheese enchiladas, and generally only eat enchiladas with red sauce. I do believe these white-sauce-enchiladas are a little more Caucasian than the authentic stuff. BUT they rocked my socks. They were, to quote Ree Drummond, "creamy, dreamy, delicious, nutritious, yummy, nummy white chicken enchiladas."

They are a little time consuming but not difficult, 
and totally worth all the prep. 

My batch fed four people well and then left at least three leftover meals.
Oh, and the leftovers were still awesome- still creamy and not at all dry!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 pkg white corn tortillas
• 1/2 Large Onion, Diced
• 2 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 2-1/2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated (or more. because you can never have enough cheese)
• Salt And Pepper
• optional- 1 can chipotles in adobo sauce 

Here's what you do:

If you cook your own chicken, I recommend leg quarters- 

just boil it until done and then de-bone 'em. 

I saved some time and grabbed one of these guys from the store. It worked just fine.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, 

just to start the cooking process. 

Add chicken, 1 can of green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. 

Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, 

allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

We also did a batch with chipotles instead of onion, green chilies and jalapenos- for that, just saute 2 chopped chipotles instead of the green stuff! 

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other can of chilies. (For chipotle version, add a couple of very finely diced chipotles and a tbsp adobo sauce) Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Microwave tortillas a few at a time for about fifteen second to prep for filling.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. 

Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

At this point, I'd run out of Monterey Jack cheese and pulled out some Mexican Blend shredded stuff. Cheese is cheese, people.  

But maybe be aware that you may use more than you think.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. 

Top with extra cheese if you'd like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Turn the broiler on for the last couple minutes to get a nice golden top.

Serve with charro beans and Mexican rice... 

or be like me and just whip up some guacamole for the side!

Since we used more chicken and tortillas than the original recipe called for, we also made another half batch of sauce. And used nearly three bags of shredded cheese. This is definitely a recipe I'll be making again. It would be fun to make with a couple friends or for a group! 

So good. 

Next time I think I may do the whole batch with chipotles, 

because I really like chipotles. 

And then the enchiladas come out pink!

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.