Mexican Chicken Enchiladas

I love to make Mexican Chicken Enchiladas when I have family or friends over, so this is a recipe for 8-12 people. But feel free to half the recipe for a smaller setting. The steps to make these enchiladas are pretty simple and making it with the onions, makes the flavor wonderful. These also re-heat well. Sometimes I make this batch for my kids to feed on while I prep for parties or big holidays. They just pop the amount they want in the microwave and they are fed.

I think these enchiladas taste like the ones in the restaurants, so add any sides to make the meal complete, like Spanish rice, charro beans, corn, etc. Serve them up with chips and salsa, guacamole and sour cream. This is a recipe that you will make again.

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Ingredients

Makes approximately 40 small chicken enchiladas.

4 lbs or 6-7 Chicken breasts
At least a 60 count of regular white corn tortillas – a few will break while cooking and rolling, so it is better to have extras
4 lbs or 2 large bags of shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican shredded cheese
4 – 15 ounce cans of red enchilada sauce (medium)
1 large yellow onion
4 teaspoons of minced garlic or garlic cloves (minced)
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of salt and more to taste
1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper and more to taste
2 teaspoons of granulated garlic
oil for frying pan
1 cup of fresh cilantro or 1 bunch of chopped green onions for garnish (optional)
2 cups of Mexican Quest Fresco crumble cheese (optional) – crumble with fingers
Mexican Style Cream (optional) – like La Vaquita

Supplies

Sheet pan or baking sheet
Foil
Large stock pot
Measuring spoons
Large frying pan
Non-stick skillet
Tongs

Directions For Mexican Chicken Enchiladas

Fill the large stockpot halfway with water, and add 2 teaspoons of granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper. Then add the chicken breasts and bring to a medium boil on medium high heat. Cook for about 25-30 minutes and then turn off the stove. Then allow chicken to sit in the water for at least 20 minutes or more, removed from the heat. So the longer it sits, the juicier the chicken will be as the juices redistribute.
Next, remove the chicken and allow to cool on a large plate or bowl. Do not drain the water out. You will need 1 1/2 – 2 cups of the broth for cooking. Then shred the chicken with two forks or with your fingers and set to the side.

Now, chop up the onion fine.

In the large frying pan, add 2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat on medium-high. Then add in the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.

Next, add back in the shredded chicken and 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth and continue to cook on medium heat.
Add in the cumin, additional salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. So you want the liquid to reduce a bit and the chicken to stay moist, turn off the heat to the pan and set to the side.

Now, open two cans of the red enchilada sauce and place in a bowl large enough to be wider than the size of the tortilla.
Next, coat the tortillas one at a time in the red enchilada sauce and place in a non-stick frying pan, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. This is a very quick process, about 3 seconds per side and then move the coated tortilla to a plate. You are only warming the tortilla. So, if you warm the tortilla too much, it will fall apart. I recommend working in batches of 10 because they start to stick together after that.

Assemble The Mexican Chicken Enchiladas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add about 3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture towards the end of the tortilla and add some Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese. Then roll and set on the baking sheet lined with foil. Place each one very close to each other. Continue until the entire baking sheet is covered.
Then top with more enchilada sauce and more Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese.
Bake on lower rack in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until cheese melts. If the rack is higher in the oven, lightly cover the enchiladas with foil.

When done, allow the enchiladas to cook for a few minutes so they do not fall apart when serving. Right before serving, add the crumbled fresco cheese and chopped cilantro. You can also top with Mexican style cream.